Xiao Ying returned to Prince Yi’s residence at dusk, carrying the fading colors of the evening with him after finishing his duties at the Imperial Clan Court.
After dinner, he proceeded to the study in the main courtyard as usual.
As a prince, he rarely had any free time in the evenings these days.
Listening to his chief steward, Lan Ningcheng, report on the affairs of the residence, reviewing the accounts of the businesses under his name, and responding to invitations and letters from various parties were all part of his daily routine. He also had to organize the information he had gathered while investigating cases at the Imperial Clan Court, often working until late into the night.
Several invitation cards that Lan Ningcheng had carefully selected lay neatly arranged on his desk.
Recently, Xiao Ying had been so occupied with his duties at the Imperial Clan Court and his covert investigations that he could barely find the time to host the frequent banquets he used to hold, large and small.
His social circle was clearly divided into several layers. The circle of idle young masters from ordinary noble families and merchant households—the sort who gathered for wine and fine food—did not require much effort to maintain. He could easily wait until he had survived the remaining month and a half of his seemingly inescapable predicament before dealing with them.
As for those who were genuinely useful, all he could do for now was prepare generous gifts and respond to their letters diligently, maintaining a cordial relationship on the surface.
Xiao Ying’s fingertips passed over a row of luxurious invitations before finally settling on a plain, unadorned card. Raising an eyebrow, he unfolded it and read the letter carefully. A faint, self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
He placed the plain invitation to one side and instructed Lan Ningcheng, “Arrange a private banquet at the residence on the next rest day. Keep the guest list the same as before.”
Lan Ningcheng respectfully acknowledged the order before asking, “Would the Ningyu Pavilion be suitable for the banquet?”
“That’ll do. Hold it there. Keep it simple.”
As he spoke, Xiao Ying pushed the other beautifully decorated invitations aside, leaving only the plain one in front of him.
Once the official business had been dealt with, Lan Ningcheng proceeded to report another matter.
“Your Highness, a message came from the palace today. Consort Wan said that when the wife of a Hanlin Academy Reader visited the palace to pay her respects and present gifts, she indirectly inquired whether Your Highness had begun discussing marriage arrangements.”
Xiao Ying’s eyebrows lifted slightly. He let out a cold snort.
What a bunch of slippery old opportunists.
In the past, he had spent his days frequenting pleasure houses and had even made a grand public show of keeping a male courtesan. Officials throughout the court had criticized him for squandering his potential on frivolous pursuits, convinced he had no future. They had been so afraid their respectable daughters might become entangled with him that they avoided him like the plague.
And now? His Imperial Father had merely tossed him a minor assignment at the Imperial Clan Court, and they had already caught the scent of opportunity. Did they now think that even a lump of rotten mud like him was worth marrying into the family?
It was not as though nobody had ever approached him about marriage before. But those people had been interested only in his wealth and his status as a prince.
He was not particularly insistent on marrying someone of equal social standing. But he had no desire to bring home a useless parasite who displeased him and spend every day being irritated by them.
If that was the alternative, he would rather spend the rest of his life with the cats in his residence. At least that would be peaceful.
“How did Mother Consort respond?” Xiao Ying asked.
Lan Ningcheng answered calmly, “Her Highness replied, ‘Not yet. The child has his own ideas about such matters, and this palace has no wish to interfere.’”
Xiao Ying nodded in satisfaction.
“If anyone else with no sense comes asking in the future, turn them all away on my behalf. Tell them that I am deeply devoted to the point of obsession and cannot let go of Young Master Yuexi of Shuyu Pavilion.”
At present, he had neither the inclination nor the time to deal with marriage.
The political situation was turbulent, and he was already walking on thin ice. One careless step could leave him utterly destroyed.
Forming a marriage alliance with a court official at such a time would only cause the man on the imperial throne—and several of his elder brothers—to regard him as a thorn in their side and a potential threat.
After finishing his reports on these miscellaneous matters, Lan Ningcheng’s expression grew serious. He took out another letter and handed it over.
“Your Highness, this letter was slipped among the account books delivered by Guangji Trading House. It came from Snow Listening Pavilion.”
Xiao Ying’s hand paused slightly as he accepted it.
Previously, he had merely sent out a fragment of a suspicious prescription and some obscure pieces of information to test the waters. He had never expected the other party to respond so quickly.
Snow Listening Pavilion—the colossal enterprise that practically monopolized the lifeblood of trade routes along the northern frontier.
Its master, the legendary Madam Tingxue, was known for her efficiency and secrecy. She rarely appeared in public, showing herself only for transactions involving substantial interests or when dealing with particularly distinguished guests.
Yet Xiao Ying knew perfectly well that for Snow Listening Pavilion to control salt and tea, commodities strictly regulated by the imperial court, and even to hold exclusive rights to special medicinal ingredients supplied solely to Prince Su’s residence for the Guichen Medical Sect, someone of considerable power must be standing behind it.
When Snow Listening Pavilion had contributed money and supplies to the reconstruction of Linbei City, he had never believed that his Seventh Brother’s dealings with the organization were merely commercial.
He opened the letter and lowered his eyes to read.
Re-examine the old medical records.
For anyone who took this prescription over an extended period during childhood, verify whether they also suffered from chronic drowsiness, poor appetite, physical weakness, or delayed development. Record the circumstances under which the medicine was taken, when it was discontinued, and the subsequent course of the patient’s condition.
Also list those who exhibited similar symptoms without having taken this prescription. Do not draw any conclusions yet. Simply determine whether there are obvious differences between the two groups.
Next, review the personnel who served around the imperial princes and princesses over the years: the imperial physicians who prescribed medicine, the palace attendants who collected it, the eunuchs who delivered it, the wet nurses who administered it, and the caregivers responsible for keeping records. Investigate whether the same group of lower-ranking personnel repeatedly appeared around different imperial offspring who died prematurely.
Examine the Imperial Pharmacy’s account books for similar prescriptions as well. Do not limit the search to a particular prescription name. Compare the ingredients one by one, paying particular attention to whether similar mineral-based medicinal ingredients were ever substituted under different names.
Record anything unusual. Do not rush to a conclusion. Report back if anything is discovered.
At the end of the letter was a final line:
If there are other old accounts or dealings in the capital, there is no need to pass them along with the goods anymore. Simply entrust them to Shopkeeper Lao Chu at the Snow Listening Pavilion branch on West Street.
Xiao Ying read every word. His eyes narrowed slightly, and an intrigued smile played at the corner of his lips.
“How interesting. I merely sent over a suspicious fragment of a prescription and a few clues, yet their investigative perspective is even broader than I anticipated.”
The handwriting was bold and steady. It appeared that the sender had deliberately disguised their penmanship, making it impossible to identify them from the shape of the characters.
At the very least, it did not resemble his Seventh Brother’s handwriting, nor that of Chief Steward Xia.
The letter contained a precise analysis of medical principles, with penetrating insights that differed entirely from the mainstream medical practices of the Great Sheng Dynasty. Yet it also demonstrated an exceptionally seasoned approach to investigation, one that went straight to the vulnerabilities within the imperial palace.
Such systematic reasoning across different fields did not seem like the work of a physician alone. Rather, it read as though someone had organized the medical records behind the scenes, then had the findings carefully refined by someone highly experienced in intelligence and investigation.
This only strengthened Xiao Ying’s conviction about the true identity of the person behind Snow Listening Pavilion.
And that final line was even more intriguing.
Naturally, the other party was not asking him to send any literal “old accounts.” They were personally offering him a more discreet and secure private channel of communication.
—Shopkeeper Lao Chu at the Snow Listening Pavilion branch on West Street.
If he used this channel, his identity might be exposed.
But given his Seventh Brother’s intelligence and that Chief Steward Xia’s sharp mind, they had probably already figured it out.
He had never intended to conceal his identity completely. From the beginning, he had sent information bit by bit because he wanted to do his Seventh Brother a favor.
All he needed was for both sides to understand the arrangement without saying it aloud.
Judging by this letter, his Seventh Brother had understood. That was why he had offered this channel.
Lan Ningcheng spoke from beside him. “There is indeed a shopkeeper named Lao Chu at the Snow Listening Pavilion branch on West Street in the capital.”
Drawing on the records he had committed to memory, he reported in his usual even tone.
“His surname is Chu, and his given name is Hongzhi. He is commonly known as Lao Chu, is fifty-three years old, and is a native of Chenjing. He has served as the shopkeeper of the West Street branch for twenty-two years. His home is a small, two-courtyard residence in Ninghuai Lane on West Street. He has a wife, a son, and a daughter. He lives simply, maintains decent relationships with his neighbors, pays his taxes on time, and never causes trouble.”
He concluded evenly, “Based on the information we previously gathered, he is simply a seasoned, reliable shopkeeper.”
Xiao Ying tapped his fingertips lightly against the desk.
“So what we discovered before was merely his identity as a merchant.”
“Yes.” Lan Ningcheng nodded.
“But we never discovered that he was an internal contact within Snow Listening Pavilion who could directly receive sensitive intelligence.”
Lan Ningcheng had already investigated the backgrounds of Snow Listening Pavilion’s various branches and personnel.
The organization’s branches in the capital conducted ordinary business and had impeccably clean records. They had been operating for many years.
The West Street branch was particularly well situated.
East of it lay the East Market, west lay the West Market, south lay the imperial city, and north lay the residential districts where officials lived.
Passing through two alleys from the back entrance led to a narrow passage connecting to a side gate of the imperial city.
For anyone wishing to transmit information without attracting attention, the location could hardly be more suitable.
Xiao Ying glanced once more at the final line of the letter and gave a soft laugh.
“If they dare to leave us a means of contacting them, they aren’t afraid of being investigated. A man who has worked as a shopkeeper for twenty-two years without ever moving elsewhere may not necessarily be a sleeper agent planted there long ago. But this proves precisely how much trust he enjoys within Snow Listening Pavilion. He must even control certain privileges that remain unknown to outsiders.”
They had investigated Snow Listening Pavilion before, but all they had uncovered was its clean and respectable public face.
Had the other party not personally delivered this name to him, they would never have known that this seemingly ordinary old shopkeeper stood behind one of the organization’s true intelligence channels.
The other party clearly understood that transmitting messages through the account books of Guangji Trading House was not completely secure. That was why they had proactively opened this door to him.
The unspoken meaning was unmistakable.
—I know you have been sending messages.
—I also know you do not want to leave evidence behind.
—If something important arises, use this channel.
He raised his hand and fed the letter into the flames.
The fire immediately climbed across the page, consuming the bold handwriting until it crumbled into ash.
His gaze lowered, reflecting the faint flicker of the flames.
If the person behind Snow Listening Pavilion really was his Seventh Brother, then… with such a vast commercial network and intelligence web at his disposal, was he using them to protect his own life? Or was there another reason?
Xiao Ying would not actively probe Xiao Yuan’s true intentions.
For now, he only needed to wait.
Once the three-month deadline for the military campaign expired, the outcome would become clear. Either the three lost territories would be successfully recovered, or the campaign would fail and the Emperor’s judgment would follow. That decision would also determine Xiao Ying’s own fate.
All he could do was investigate everything that needed investigating before the deadline and keep the leverage required to turn the tables firmly in his own hands.
In that sense, they were now all aboard the same boat.
As the flames gradually died down, Xiao Ying withdrew his gaze and turned his thoughts back to the situation before him.
“I will personally examine the records at the Imperial Clan Court.”
“Chief Steward Lan.”
“Your servant is here.”
“Have people discreetly investigate the Imperial Pharmacy’s records from the past thirty years. There is no need to search everything indiscriminately. First, cross-reference the list of imperial offspring who died prematurely during those thirty years, and identify any prescriptions for calming the mind, nourishing the heart, stabilizing the spirit, or suppressing fright that were used around them. Then trace any records of those prescriptions being modified, their ingredients replaced, or even their names changed. Do not delve too deeply into the medical principles. Simply record the prescription names, dates of modification, principal ingredients, and the officials who handled them.”
“Once you identify any suspicious prescriptions, examine the Imperial Pharmacy’s inventory records for the past thirty years. Find the mineral-based medicines that were used frequently and trace their sources, purchases, and the officials who handled them. Finally, cross-reference those findings with the rosters of palace attendants transferred through the Imperial Pharmacy over the past thirty years. See whether a few ‘ghosts’ keep appearing around the same group of prescriptions.”
Xiao Ying spoke quickly, his instructions precise and well organized.
After a brief pause, he tapped his fingers lightly against the tabletop and added, “Also, investigate the cosmetics and powders used daily by the imperial consorts. Find out where the raw materials purchased by the Directorate of the Palace Treasury came from, which merchants supplied them, which consorts used the products, and which did not. Investigate every person involved, whether living or dead.”
Lan Ningcheng was slightly taken aback. “Your Highness suspects the daily-use products of the imperial harem?”
“I’m not merely suspecting them. Since we’re investigating mineral-based medicines, we cannot focus solely on the Imperial Pharmacy. If someone has been targeting young children for years, they might also have targeted other members of the imperial harem. Poison doesn’t necessarily have to enter the body through the mouth. Lip color, scented powder, and rouge can conceal harmful substances just as easily.”
Lan Ningcheng nodded slightly.
Indeed, many cosmetic products contained minerals. The Crimson Marrow that had appeared in the calming decoction was also used in rouge.
Only after all the important matters had been arranged did Xiao Ying’s tense shoulders relax a little.
Leaning back in his chair, he casually asked about the situation at the other residence.
“How is Yuexi doing at Wangchen Cove?”
Lan Ningcheng truthfully reported Young Master Yuexi’s activities over the past few days.
“Every day, Young Master Yuexi rises before dawn to practice the zither, then proceeds to practice dancing. The rest of the time, he stays alone in his study, reading and writing. He has not stepped outside the secondary residence even once.”
At this, Xiao Ying’s brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
“Has he gone into the garden or the rear courtyard to get some fresh air?”
“No. During the day, he even instructs the servants to keep the windows closed, saying that he wishes to avoid direct sunlight. He only opens them for ventilation when there is no sunlight.”
Xiao Ying could not help sighing inwardly.
He had explicitly told Yuexi that he was free to move around within the permitted areas of the secondary residence and its surroundings. Yet the man seemed to have imprisoned himself, refusing to take even a single step beyond his room.
Lan Ningcheng continued, “There is also a report from Ai Qin, the servant assigned to attend to him. Young Master Yuexi has stipulated that he eat only two meals a day. His diet consists mainly of boiled vegetables, accompanied by small portions of fish or chicken. He eats less than a normal person. Every day, he drinks only the barley water and lotus-leaf tea he prepares himself, abstains completely from alcohol, and takes fleeceflower root and black sesame seeds regularly.”
The more Xiao Ying listened, the more deeply his brows furrowed.
“What else?”
Lan Ningcheng hesitated briefly, his tone unusually uncertain.
“There is one more thing… According to Ai Qin, Young Master Yuexi wraps long, tightly woven strips of cloth around his chest and abdomen every day, binding them layer upon layer. He does not remove them even when sleeping at night.”
“Why would he put himself through such suffering?” Xiao Ying asked in disbelief.
“I was told it is to maintain his figure.”
Xiao Ying immediately understood. A complicated feeling rose in his heart.
All of this was the price Wu Jiuling had to pay to play the role of “Young Master Yuexi, the leading courtesan and untouched entertainer of Shuyu Pavilion.” Three years of following these practices day and night had turned such near-self-torture into a form of self-control carved into his very bones.
The zither and dance practice that began before dawn was merely the foundation of Yuexi’s daily routine.
His skin, white as jade and almost sickly pale, was partly the result of natural beauty, but even more the product of years spent avoiding sunlight and living away from the outside world.
His thick, raven-black hair had likewise been meticulously cultivated as part of his appeal.
To maintain his slender, delicate figure, he had starved himself for years, even using strips of cloth to force his bones and flesh into the shape most favored by his patrons.
That seemingly fragile waist, so slender it looked as though it might snap with the slightest bend, was not natural at all.
Xiao Ying recalled the day Young Master Yuexi had first arrived at the prince’s residence. He had casually pushed a plate of exquisite osmanthus cakes toward him.
Yuexi had taken only one restrained, tiny bite before refusing to touch another.
At the time, Xiao Ying had assumed the food was simply not to his liking. Looking back now, he realized the man had probably not dared to indulge in even a single mouthful of sweets.
And yet this same person, who scarcely dared to eat enough to fill his stomach, had sat at the musical gathering aboard the pleasure boat and calmly helped him drink cup after cup of wine.
How ironic.
In the past, Xiao Ying had often visited the pleasure quarters, but it was not because he was truly infatuated with women or men.
What he sought there was merely a variety of people, lively drinking parties, delicate desserts, graceful singing and dancing, and a touch of ordinary human warmth that could temporarily make him forget the ruthless struggles for imperial power.
Then, at Shuyu Pavilion, he had met Young Master Yuexi.
Until now, he had only ever seen Yuexi at his most exquisite and flawless.
Only now did he truly understand that the perfection he had once believed to be effortless had been painstakingly sculpted and polished, day after day, by this man using his own flesh and bones as the tools.
Behind that breathtaking beauty lay a cruelty that had driven him to the brink of desperation. And what Lan Ningcheng had reported was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Young Master Yuexi’s circumstances were by no means unique.
The darkness behind the pleasure quarters was far deeper than most people knew.
And Xiao Ying himself had been one of the people helping to perpetuate such pathological practices.
Yet he would not condemn them outright, because he understood even better that some people would not be able to survive without these places.
The world had never been simply black or white.
But now that this man had come under his care, he could no longer turn a blind eye.
“There is another matter.” Lan Ningcheng lowered his voice, interrupting Xiao Ying’s thoughts. “On the first day Young Master Yuexi moved into Wangchen Cove, he proactively asked me where the hidden compartment in his room was located.”
Xiao Ying’s fingertips tapped lightly against the edge of the account book. His tone remained calm.
“And then?”
It was hardly surprising that Young Master Yuexi had secrets he needed to keep safe.
The fact that he had openly asked Lan Ningcheng about the hidden compartment meant he was not afraid of the prince’s residence inspecting it.
And given Lan Ningcheng’s meticulous way of handling affairs, he would certainly have checked it privately already.
“Besides the contract belonging to the young master, there were three confidential notebooks inside the compartment,” Lan Ningcheng replied. “I have verified their contents. They record fluctuations in grain prices, the scheduling and movements of grain-transport vessels, and connections between various people who may have been involved in the grain and canal-transport embezzlement case from that year. Judging by the age of the ink and the sheer amount of information, the young master has been collecting these materials in secret for quite some time. I left everything exactly as I found it.”
Since the contents might have posed a security concern for the prince’s residence, Lan Ningcheng had needed to determine what Young Master Yuexi had hidden in the compartment. Once he had verified the contents, he had preserved everything in its original state.
All the information had already been committed to his memory.
A complicated expression flashed through Xiao Ying’s eyes.
Those notebooks represented Yuexi’s attempt to use the meager but tenacious strength at his disposal to challenge an overwhelming force and uncover the truth behind the destruction of the Wu family.
Lan Ningcheng had chosen not to confiscate them. In doing so, he had shown respect for the prince’s guest.
“One passage in the notebooks is particularly noteworthy,” Lan Ningcheng reported quietly. “On the day Your Highness fell into the water, someone saw a person at a teahouse beside the dock asking, ‘The Prince of Yi took the account books tonight… The Wu family… Is that thing still around or not?’”
Xiao Ying’s eyes darkened slightly.
The bait he had thrown out that time had indeed attracted someone.
“Use our network to reverify every piece of information recorded in his notebooks. Cross-reference everything and compile a detailed report for me.”
Xiao Ying composed his expression and issued another instruction.
“Also, find someone to casually let a few pieces of information slip to Xue Yan, the son of the Censor-in-Chief, and Yan Bingwen, the son of a Vice Director of the Ministry of Justice.”
He quietly laid out another piece of bait.
“Yes.”
“One more thing. Tomorrow evening, have Yuexi come to the main courtyard for dinner—no, I’ll go there myself. Tomorrow evening, I’ll dine at Wangchen Cove. Tell the kitchen to prepare light dishes with little oil and salt, and include several dishes of boiled fresh vegetables and fish.”
Xiao Ying paused, then added, “Send someone to inform Young Master Yuexi in advance. Tell him it’s just an ordinary meal together, and he should wear whatever is comfortable. There’s no need to be formal.”
“Your servant understands.”
◇◆◇◆◇
The following evening, the setting sun cast a layer of golden-orange light over the bluestone path at Wangchen Cove.
When Young Master Yuexi received the news that Xiao Ying would be coming to dine with him, he quietly speculated that the prince must have some important matter concerning the case or the intelligence they had gathered to discuss with him.
Although the servant delivering the message had specifically relayed the instruction that he need not be formal, Yuexi did not dare to take it literally.
Basic courtesy and respect were indispensable when dealing with a prince of the imperial family.
He deliberately changed out of his overly plain clothes. Rather than wearing the gauzy garments associated with Young Master Yuexi, he chose a formal outfit that was well tailored, dignified, and appropriate.
Sitting before the dressing table, he let Ai Qin carefully comb his raven-black hair, which fell all the way to his calves. The upper half was neatly secured with a simple silver hairpin, while the lower half cascaded naturally down his back like a waterfall, lending him an air of cool, scholarly elegance.
Once he was ready, he glanced at the foot wraps and soft-soled shoes that Ai Qin respectfully offered him. After a brief hesitation, he silently put them on.
At dusk, Xiao Ying returned to the residence after finishing his duties. He did not even have time to change out of his official robes before heading straight to Wangchen Cove.
“Young Master Yuexi pays his respects to Your Highness.”
The moment Yuexi saw him enter the courtyard, he immediately stepped forward and bowed.
“Rise.”
Xiao Ying reached out and made a small gesture as though to help him up. His tone was relaxed.
“I’ve only come to have an ordinary meal with you today, and to see whether you’ve settled in comfortably here. There’s no need to be so formal. In private, I’m not particularly concerned with empty courtesies.”
“In that case, Yuexi will accept your kindness.”
The two proceeded to the flower hall and took their seats, one as host and the other as guest.
Before long, servants brought out a succession of exquisite but light dishes.
Yuexi looked at the spread with an unchanged expression, picked up his bowl and chopsticks with elegant composure, and began eating with his usual restraint.
During the meal, Xiao Ying observed him discreetly. As expected, Yuexi chose mostly the boiled leafy vegetables. Occasionally, he picked up a small piece of chicken, but he chewed it painstakingly for a long time before swallowing. He had barely touched the rice in his bowl.
“What’s wrong, Yuexi?”
Xiao Ying put down his chopsticks and asked gently, “Are the dishes prepared by the prince’s residence’s cooks not to your liking?”
“Your Highness misunderstands.” Yuexi paused and replied softly. “I’ve always had a small appetite. I simply don’t eat much.”
“You’re only sixteen this year. You’re still growing. If you don’t eat more, you’ll miss your chance to grow taller. Look at me. Even if I wanted to grow taller now, I couldn’t. I eat normally every day and still can’t put on weight.”
Xiao Ying spoke half in jest.
Yuexi merely glanced at him and said mildly, “Your Highness is already quite tall.”
Then he picked up the serving chopsticks and personally selected a piece of meat glistening with oil, placing it steadily into Yuexi’s bowl.
“My Mother Consort used to tell me, ‘A good appetite is a blessing.’”
Xiao Ying looked at him with a gentle, sincere gaze.
“She didn’t mean that people should overeat or eat without restraint. There’s more to the saying than that. What my Mother Consort hoped for was simply that I could eat my meals without difficulty. Being healthy was the greatest blessing of all. I feel the same way.”
Yuexi lowered his eyes to the tempting piece of meat in his bowl, its surface glistening with oil.
Almost instinctively, his mind began calculating.
If he ate this piece of meat, how many extra hours of dance practice would he need tomorrow to burn it off completely?
Would his waist measurement increase by half an inch?
Would he develop visible muscles?
His throat moved involuntarily, betraying a hint of resistance.
Nevertheless, he concealed the turmoil in his eyes, picked up the meat as though nothing were wrong, put it into his mouth, and swallowed.
“How does it taste?” Xiao Ying asked with a smile.
“…It is very delicious. Thank you for the treat, Your Highness.”
Xiao Ying fell silent for a moment.
He looked deeply at Yuexi, his tone becoming less casual and more solemn.
“Yuexi, here in the prince’s residence, and especially in my presence, you don’t need to say things you don’t mean.”
“Your Highness…”
“You don’t need to be as anxious as you were at Shuyu Pavilion, constantly trying to guess what I’m thinking and accommodate my preferences.”
Xiao Ying interrupted him.
“You’re a living person with your own will, likes, and dislikes. You can express your true thoughts openly.”
Yuexi raised his cool, clear eyes and met Xiao Ying’s gaze for a long time.
At last, he lowered his eyelids slightly and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
“…Actually, I prefer eating fish.”
For once, he was not trying to guess what a patron wanted to hear. It was the first time he had genuinely expressed what he himself liked.
Xiao Ying’s hand paused almost imperceptibly as he served himself. Then he smiled gently without saying anything more, simply picking up the serving chopsticks and placing a generous piece of tender, white steamed fish into Yuexi’s bowl.
“You like fish just like a cat does.”
Looking at the piece of fish, which was nearly half the size of his palm, Yuexi said helplessly, “Your Highness, this is too much. I really can’t eat all of it.”
“If you really can’t finish it… then give it to them.”
Xiao Ying smiled and pointed at several furry little balls that had slipped into the hall at some point and were now gathered around his feet.
Besides the familiar white snow-lion cat, Yinsa, there were several other cats that appeared faithfully whenever it was mealtime.
One was black, another golden, and a third had silver spots.
Although they were allowed to roam freely around the prince’s residence, every one of them had glossy fur and a plump, well-fed body.
“You already know the white one. The black one is called Moyu, the golden one is Yulu, and the silver-spotted one is Yuepo,” Xiao Ying introduced them one by one.
Seeing them, Yuexi carefully divided the piece of fish into several smaller portions, placed them in his palm, and slowly held them out toward the cats.
Yinsa was the boldest. The moment it saw the food, it let out a meow, darted forward, snatched the largest piece, and ran off to a corner to enjoy it alone.
The other cats watched with longing. Some tilted their heads and stared fixedly at Xiao Ying, their expressions practically demanding that he hurry up and give them fish, too. Others affectionately rubbed their heads against the back of Yuexi’s hand, purring sweetly.
Watching the endearing little creatures, Yuexi’s perpetually tense shoulders gradually relaxed without his realizing it.
The cats did not need to maintain any particular figure. When they were hungry, they ate. When they were full, they stretched comfortably. When they were happy, they rubbed against people; when they were displeased, they simply flicked their tails and walked away. They never had to please anyone.
Looking at them, the faintest curve appeared at the corners of Yuexi’s lips.
He seemed to understand, at least a little, why Xiao Ying kept these little creatures.
At least in front of them, Xiao Ying did not need to wear a mask or remain on guard.
“Just don’t spoil them too much,” Xiao Ying teased. “Otherwise, from now on, whenever you sit down to eat, these little masters will show up on time to demand their due.”
As he spoke, he rewarded one of the cats with a piece of fish.
“Your Highness seems to like animals very much,” Yuexi remarked curiously as he continued feeding the cats.
He had already noticed that Prince Yi’s residence housed quite a number of rare birds and various kinds of cats.
“They simply looked appealing to me, so I brought them back to the residence. I didn’t think much about it at the time. I’m a rather vulgar person, really. I simply like beautiful, lively things.”
Xiao Ying answered casually.
Then he looked at Yuexi and added more seriously, “But you’re different from them.”
Yuexi’s hand paused slightly as he fed the cats.
“That day, when I watched you dance and captivate the entire capital from my seat below the stage, I truly thought you were beautiful,” Xiao Ying said with a smile. “And I also found those eyes of yours precious. Even though they had been sullied by the mud, they had not lost their sense of self.”
That day, Xiao Ying had not been looking merely at Yuexi’s beautiful appearance or captivating dance. He had seen a proud, unyielding will in those eyes—a will that remained intact despite being mired in filth and standing before overwhelming power.
A person who could recognize their circumstances without falling into self-pity, who instead tried to overturn their fate with whatever meager strength they possessed, was someone Xiao Ying greatly admired.
Yuexi withdrew his hand and wiped his fingertips with a handkerchief. His tone carried a faint hint of teasing.
“Your Highness was so distracted that day you hardly even remembered to drink your wine. I thought you were too busy talking animatedly with your friends to notice what was happening onstage.”
Hearing the playful reproach in his words, Xiao Ying could not help smiling ruefully.
“Next time, if I’m fortunate enough to see you dance again, I promise I won’t take my eyes off you for even half an inch.”
“That is a promise Your Highness has made with your own lips.”
Yuexi smiled softly.
In this rare atmosphere of ease and harmony, he unknowingly ate half a bowl more rice and vegetables than usual.
However, not long after the meal was cleared away, Xiao Ying keenly sensed that something was wrong.
Yuexi sat quietly where he was, doing his utmost to maintain his usual calm expression. Yet his lips were visibly growing paler by the second, and fine beads of cold sweat had begun to appear at his temples.
He was clearly enduring some kind of pain.
“Yuexi, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Ying rose and hurried to his side.
“I’m fine, Your Highness…”
Yuexi’s voice trembled slightly.
“Perhaps I’m just tired from practicing the zither today… I’d like to return to my room and rest.”
Seeing his increasingly pallid face, Xiao Ying grabbed his hand. His fingertips were ice-cold.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Someone—”
“Don’t call anyone!”
Yuexi caught Xiao Ying’s sleeve with his other hand.
He breathed unevenly, a rare flicker of panic crossing his eyes.
“I’m just…”
Before he could finish, Yuexi suddenly released him and rushed out of the hall. His steps were unsteady, and he nearly stumbled over the threshold.
“…Your Highness, please don’t come over!”
His voice carried a desperate note of humiliation.
How could Xiao Ying possibly leave him alone? He immediately followed at a brisk pace.
As soon as he turned the covered corridor, he saw Yuexi crouched miserably beside a flower bed, vomiting most of the food he had just eaten. His body curled up in pain, his thin back heaving violently.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Ying stepped forward. Ignoring the mess on the ground, he knelt beside Yuexi and gently rubbed his back with one hand to help ease his discomfort.
The sour, churning agony in Yuexi’s stomach brought tears to the corners of his eyes. He bent over beside a corridor pillar in utter misery, yet stubbornly turned his face away and shrank toward the shadows, overcome with shame.
“Your Highness… please don’t look…”
As the leading courtesan of Shuyu Pavilion, he had long grown accustomed to presenting his patrons with an image that was perfect, flawless, and even entirely false.
To be seen in such a wretched state, covered in filth, was more humiliating to him than being flayed alive.
“At a time like this, when you’re suffering so badly, you’re still worrying about rules and appearances?”
There was not the slightest trace of disgust in Xiao Ying’s voice, only deep concern and helpless affection.
He crouched beside Yuexi and gently patted his back, helping him catch his breath.
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? I once drank so much that I vomited all over Chief Steward Lan—not once, but twice. You should have seen the expression on his usually icy face.”
The joke, meant to comfort him, caused Yuexi’s rigid back to stiffen for a moment.
After some time, the violent churning in his stomach gradually subsided. He leaned weakly against the corridor pillar, breathing heavily as though all the strength had been drained from his body.
Xiao Ying called out for the servants to clean up the mess immediately, then ordered Ai Qin to bring a basin of warm water.
He did not leave the task to anyone else. Instead, he personally soaked a clean cotton cloth in the water, wrung it out, and gently wiped the cold sweat from Yuexi’s pale cheeks and the stains from the corners of his mouth.
Afterward, he ordered someone to summon the residence’s physician at once.
Before long, the physician hurried over with his medicine case.
After carefully taking Yuexi’s pulse, the physician furrowed his brows. He rose and reported to Xiao Ying.
“Your Highness, the young master has eaten too little for many years, and his diet has been excessively bland and monotonous. His spleen and stomach have long been weakened to the point of severe deficiency. Today, he suddenly ate more than usual and consumed oily foods and meat that he rarely touches. His digestive system was unable to process the food, resulting in this bout of nausea and vomiting.
“The root of the problem lies in years of deprivation. It cannot be remedied with just two or three doses of medicine. I will first prescribe something to warm the middle and relieve the stagnation. After that, he will need to be nourished gradually over time. His diet must not be changed too quickly. Rice, meat, and other foods must be reintroduced little by little so that his digestive system can readjust.”
“Very well.” Xiao Ying nodded, his expression grave. “Go to Chief Steward Lan immediately and use my token to open the Precious Medicine Pavilion. Take whatever high-quality medicinal ingredients you need. Once the medicine is ready, have someone bring it here immediately.”
“As you command.”
After the physician withdrew, silence returned to the room.
The night breeze drifted through the window lattice, making the candle flames flicker.
Xiao Ying walked over and sat beside the bed. Looking at Yuexi, who was leaning against a bolster with a drained expression, he felt guilt written all over his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Yuexi. I didn’t think things through. I was too impatient. I wanted you to eat more, but instead I made you suffer like this.”
“Your Highness, you make too much of it. This isn’t your fault.” Yuexi weakly shook his head, his lowered lashes concealing the darkness in his eyes. “My own body is simply too weak…”
Seeing how instinctively Yuexi took the blame upon himself, Xiao Ying felt a painful ache in his chest.
He leaned forward until their eyes were level. His voice was gentle, yet unusually earnest.
“I’ve heard everything about you from Chief Steward Lan.”
Yuexi’s body stiffened slightly. Beneath the thin blanket, his fingers unconsciously clenched the fabric.
“I didn’t come here tonight to force you to change your old habits immediately, nor do I want you to become the person I expect you to be.”
Xiao Ying softened his voice, speaking each word with solemn sincerity.
“I only want you to understand that you are no longer at Shuyu Pavilion. You no longer need to mistreat or harm your own body to please anyone. The only thing I ask of you is that you remain safe and healthy.”
“Your Highness…”
Yuexi raised his eyes in astonishment, a bewildered shock flashing across them.
Xiao Ying’s gaze slowly moved down, passing over Yuexi’s thin, almost fragile chest. His voice deepened.
“From now on, you may eat whatever you want and as much as you wish. As for the tight bindings and strips of cloth around your body, if they make it difficult to breathe, take them off whenever you want. If walking barefoot feels more comfortable, then go without shoes and socks. Don’t be afraid.”
His gaze was as deep as the sea, yet filled with reassurance.
“With me here, even if you can no longer dance as you once did, even if your zither playing grows rusty, even if you gain weight and cease to be the perfect ‘Young Master Yuexi,’ you need not worry that I will grow tired of you. You need not fear being driven away. I can afford to support you. You may stay at Wangchen Cove for as long as you wish.”
Xiao Ying raised a hand and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Yuexi’s ear. A warm, tender smile curved his lips.
“If one day you want to go out and see the world, then go. Just remember that the gates of Prince Yi’s residence will always remain open to you.”
Yuexi stared at the man before him in astonishment.
He was perfectly clear-headed. The kindness of the powerful was not inherently safe.
And yet this prince, a man of tremendous influence in the Great Sheng Dynasty, had gone out of his way to share dinner with him simply because he had heard about the habits with which Yuexi tormented himself.
He was worried about him. He felt sorry for him.
A burning ache rose deep in Yuexi’s eyes, almost impossible to suppress.
A warmth he had forgotten for many years forcibly yet tenderly cracked through the frozen ice around his heart, opening a fissure through which it slowly poured into his long-empty chest.
“Your Highness…” Yuexi’s throat tightened. He struggled to keep his emotions under control.
“Hmm?”
“If you keep indulging me like this… you’ll spoil me.”
He tried to force a smile like the ones he used to wear and hide behind his teasing words, unaware of just how vulnerable he looked.
“Then so be it.” Xiao Ying smiled indulgently. “If I’m the one who spoils you, then naturally I’ll take responsibility for it to the very end.”
“What if I climb over your head one day?”
At this, Xiao Ying’s charming, peach-blossom eyes curved slightly, amusement dancing in their depths.
“Then by all means, try it. Let’s see where my limits really lie.”
Yuexi looked at him.
Whenever this man gazed at someone, his eyes always carried a tender indulgence that made it easy to surrender and drown in his affection.
Yuexi gently bit his lower lip.
This man was always like this, smashing through the defenses Yuexi had painstakingly built, again and again, without the slightest regard for how hard he had worked to construct them.
He had recently found himself forgetting all too often that Xiao Ying was a member of the same imperial bloodline as the man who had personally issued the decree ordering the extermination of the entire Wu family.
He had even begun making excuses for Xiao Ying in his heart, telling himself that the true culprit was someone else and that none of it had anything to do with him.
Someone else had orchestrated the destruction of the Wu family.
But in the end, it had been the Emperor who confirmed the verdict, finalized the case, and issued the order for the family’s execution.
The man sitting on the imperial throne had not even known Yuexi personally. Yet a single sentence from him had determined the fate of the entire Wu family. A few careless words had erased Yuexi’s entire future.
But if Yuexi hated Xiao Ying for this, how would he be any different from the man who had condemned and erased the entire Wu family with a single verdict?
He knew that with his three notebooks hidden in the prince’s residence, someone would now help him uncover the truth.
He was simultaneously greedy for the warmth Xiao Ying offered him and secretly plotting how to use that favor to investigate the case.
At this moment, he no longer knew what face he should show Xiao Ying.
If only this man would stop treating him so well.
At least then… he could continue using him as a pawn without feeling guilty.
Yuexi’s long lashes trembled as he forced back the moisture in his eyes. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I just… need a little more time. Please, Your Highness… wait for me.”
He did not know how to respond to this man, and he did not dare to entrust him with his whole heart.
He had once hated the identity of “Young Master Yuexi,” a person who relied on his beauty to serve others. Yet he had also been forced to acknowledge, with bitter sorrow, that this identity was the only armor he had left.
It was who he was now.
Once he removed that disguise, who else could he possibly become?
…He had no other bargaining chips.
“What’s so difficult about that?”
Xiao Ying gave him a bright, radiant smile.
For an instant, the looming deadline of his own seemingly inescapable predicament flashed through his mind. Yet without a moment’s hesitation, he cast the heavy countdown aside and gave his promise with absolute conviction.
“I will wait for you. As long as it takes.”
Not long afterward, Lan Ningcheng entered personally, carrying a tray.
The physician had sent for him to open the Precious Medicine Pavilion. After learning what had happened, he had decided that since this concerned the internal affairs of the prince’s residence, he ought to come and check on the situation himself.
“Your Highness, the medicine is ready.”
Lan Ningcheng set down the bowl, his peripheral vision catching sight of Yuexi on the bed, his lips still pale.
He silently reflected on his own oversight.
This concerned the daily care and safety of Young Master Yuexi within the prince’s residence. His previous intelligence gathering had focused on the bigger picture, but he had overlooked the young master’s past dietary restrictions, sleeping habits, possible old injuries or hidden ailments, and the many daily routines he had acquired over years at Shuyu Pavilion.
Tomorrow, he would have to send someone to question Yuheng and thoroughly document these scattered details about Yuexi’s habits. Only then could he properly safeguard the young man and prevent another mishap.
Seeing the medicine, Yuexi tried to sit up and take the bowl, but Xiao Ying immediately pressed a hand against his shoulder to stop him.
Naturally, Xiao Ying took the celadon bowl from Lan Ningcheng. He touched the side of it with his fingertips and frowned slightly.
“It’s still hot. Let it cool a little. There’s no rush.”
He placed the bowl on a nearby tea table. Then, in a casual tone, as though he were commenting on the moonlight that evening, he said, “I heard that you enjoy reading. If that’s the case, how about I invite a tutor to come and teach you? Some of the more difficult texts can be hard to work through on your own.”
At these words, Yuexi’s eyes widened abruptly.
Countless tangled thoughts flashed through his mind: the history books in his study whose pages had yellowed with age, the dense annotations he had written in the margins, the name he had lost, and the qualification to sit for the preliminary imperial examinations that had been taken away from him.
Suddenly, he remembered a question Yuheng had once asked him.
“If one day your legal status is restored and the opportunity returns to you, will you dare to reach for it?”
—Would you dare?
His hands, hidden inside his sleeves, tightened slightly. His fingernails dug into his palms, and the faint sting kept him painfully alert.
At last, he made a certain decision.
After a moment, he raised his head. In his eyes, which had once been as still and lifeless as stagnant water, a faint glimmer quietly began to burn.
“If Your Highness is willing to make the arrangements, then… Yuexi would certainly be willing.”
He answered calmly.
Deep down, he knew that what surged within him at this moment was not driven by a single, uncomplicated motive.
What he had lost was never merely the right to study. He had lost the belief that he deserved to walk that path at all.
Now, Xiao Ying, a prince of the imperial family, had forcibly broken open the cage that confined him and laid that path before him once more.
If that day truly came in the future, he hoped he could reclaim the spirit and backbone of Wu Jiuling. After completing his studies, even if he could not stand beside Xiao Ying as an equal, at least he would no longer be a frail scholar who could only remain behind the prince’s protection.
Whether he would then be able to face Xiao Ying from a different position was something he still did not know.
But at the very least, he had to take the first step before he could see what lay at the other end of the road.
Xiao Ying caught the sharpness that had emerged in Yuexi’s eyes as his confusion receded, and his own gaze softened.
“Very good. I’ll make the arrangements myself. But you needn’t put pressure on yourself, and you don’t have to decide immediately what you want to do with your studies. Think of it simply as building your own strength. Whether it proves useful in the future or not doesn’t matter.”
Xiao Ying tested the temperature of the medicine bowl with his hand and spoke gently.
“I’ll say it again, as I always do: no matter what happens, I can afford to support you. Just put your mind at ease and focus on your own affairs.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I have no way to repay such kindness…”
“Stop right there.”
Xiao Ying raised a hand with a smile, interrupting his solemn expression of gratitude.
“I’m simply doing what I want to do. I don’t expect anything in return from you. Your only task right now is to recover your health. After that, we’ll investigate the Wu family case together and uncover the truth. As for what happens later…”
Xiao Ying lifted the now-warm bowl of medicine and offered it to Yuexi. His eyes were bright and resolute.
“We’ll have plenty of time to figure that out together.”
Yuexi accepted the bowl with both hands. Its warmth traveled through his fingertips and into his heart.
He lowered his eyes, looking at his reflection in the dark medicinal liquid. At last, the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint, almost imperceptible smile of relief.
“All right.”
The night breeze was cool, but the lights inside Wangchen Cove burned especially warmly and brightly against the darkness.