When the Embroidered Uniform Guards who had gone ahead returned to Jinling, it was already the middle of the night.
Xue Yan had been particularly clingy lately.
The repairs to the embankment were progressing quickly. These past two days, Jun Huailang had already begun adjusting the embankment plans in his hands. He calculated the timing, and by the time he finished adjusting the plans, it would be just in time for construction on the embankment to begin.
By then, everything he needed to do would be completely finished.
He had been extremely busy these past few days. Yet the Prince of Guangling, who should have been the one with little free time, was not busy at all.
He was even free enough to accompany Jun Huailang in the study every day while he drew the plans. He did not disturb him, simply finding some books to read while sitting nearby. Whenever there was some matter that needed to be handled, Jinbao would bring the memorials to his hand. After he finished dealing with them, he would have Jinbao take them away.
When he grew bored from having nothing to do, he would rather sit there and stare at Jun Huailang than leave.
Thus, every time Jun Huailang inadvertently looked up, he could see Xue Yan watching him.
The moment their eyes met, Xue Yan would smile at him.
He was born with sharp, exceptionally handsome features, clearly possessing a fierce appearance that made him look difficult to get along with. Yet when he smiled, there was a naturally seductive quality to him, somewhat roguish, yet strangely obedient.
Like a great wolf that had been tamed.
It was the same that night.
Jun Huailang was thinking about the construction schedule at the worksite, so he wanted to finish the plans ahead of time and then take them over to compare them. After all, every extra day of work at the site meant another day’s worth of silver spent. With such enormous expenses, it would be very easy for a shortage to appear halfway through construction.
Xue Yan could not stop him, so he could only draw alongside him.
He had Jinbao send over some late-night food and watched Jun Huailang finish eating. Then he sat on the daybed beneath the window beside the desk, bored out of his mind as he read.
One glance at the book, then two or three glances at Jun Huailang.
When Jun Huailang worked, he had always been completely focused and was difficult to disturb. Even so, in front of Xue Yan, he could not help but divide some of his attention, occasionally raising his head to exchange a glance with him.
Silent and quiet, yet an ambiguous atmosphere slowly spread between them.
After drawing for a while longer, Jun Huailang felt some soreness in his neck. He sat up and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck.
He saw Xue Yan stand up.
“Tired?” he asked as he walked over.
Jun Huailang pressed one hand against the back of his neck and moved it a few times.
“Not tired. It’s just a little sore.”
“Why do you have to rush to finish it a day or two early?” Xue Yan raised his hand and naturally placed it on his shoulder and neck, slowly massaging him.
His hands were naturally quite strong, but now he carefully restrained his strength, massaging him with neither too much nor too little pressure. After a few strokes, Jun Huailang lowered his hand and relaxed, narrowing his eyes as he leaned back against the chair.
“The worksite is spending silver,” he said lazily, turning his head so that his cheek happened to rest against Xue Yan’s wrist.
“If it’s short, I’ll make up the difference for you,” Xue Yan said, his tone softening as Jun Huailang leaned against him like a cat.
Jun Huailang gave a low laugh.
“Public is public, private is private. How can you make up the difference like that?”
Xue Yan clicked his tongue.
“Whether it’s public or private, you should be sleeping now,” he said.
The two of them chatted intermittently, and Jun Huailang felt the exhaustion throughout his body gradually disappear.
Just then, Jinbao’s voice sounded outside the door.
“Master, the people who went to Chang’an have returned,” Jinbao said.
“Let him in,” Xue Yan said.
Jun Huailang was just about to stand when Xue Yan pressed him back down with one hand, continuing to leisurely massage his shoulders and neck.
“All right, that’s enough…” Jun Huailang said softly.
Xue Yan acted as though he had not heard him.
Thus, when Jinbao led the Embroidered Uniform Guard inside, what he saw was his master diligently massaging the shoulders of the heir of the Duke of Yong.
However, as someone under Xue Yan, not looking at what he should not look at and not listening to what he should not hear were basic qualifications.
Jinbao bowed and withdrew, while the Embroidered Uniform Guard knelt on one knee before Xue Yan.
“How is it?” Xue Yan looked at him and asked.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard cupped his fists.
“Just as Master expected. His Majesty has already begun making plans to send troops against the Yunnan Prince. He has already issued an imperial decree, which we have brought back.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard who had come was the one who had returned ahead of the others to report to Xue Yan. The remaining men were still waiting in Chang’an and would return together with the officials carrying the imperial decree.
“What does the imperial decree say?” Xue Yan asked.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard said, “His Majesty’s decree states that the Yunnan Prince has committed a grave act of treason and intends to plot rebellion and cause disorder. His Majesty will immediately mobilize troops and dispatch soldiers south toward Lingnan. Master is to wait in Jinling. Once the main army arrives, you are to travel together to Lingnan to suppress the rebellion.”
Xue Yan gave a low laugh.
Jun Huailang, who had been sitting there listening, gradually furrowed his brows and asked in confusion, “Why didn’t His Majesty say which troops he will mobilize, or how many soldiers?”
How could such important information be left vague?
The Embroidered Uniform Guard shook his head.
“The imperial decree did not mention it.”
Xue Yan laughed.
“Just as expected,” he said.
Jun Huailang looked at him in confusion.
“The Embroidered Uniform Guards returned to Chang’an secretly in the first place. Once they entered Chang’an, the only people capable of detecting their movements were the Eastern Depot,” Xue Yan said. “I knew from the beginning that I couldn’t hide it from the Eastern Depot’s eyes. Now, I’m simply seeing what they intend to do.”
“Then, what did they do?” Jun Huailang looked at him.
Xue Yan’s hand continued massaging him, his tone indifferent, as though he were talking about something unimportant.
“For His Majesty to issue such a vague decree, the person he chose must be someone he himself feels he should not use,” Xue Yan said. “Other than Xu Zonglun, there is no one else.”
“Xu Zonglun?” Jun Huailang frowned. “Isn’t General Xu the son of Prime Minister Xu?”
Xue Yan gave a faint laugh.
“Naturally, the Emperor couldn’t bring himself to be ruthless. He wants to give them one final opportunity,” he said. “If the Xu family can eliminate the Yunnan Prince for the Emperor and take the opportunity to return all the money they embezzled to the national treasury, then, in the Emperor’s eyes, the Xu family can still be useful. He only needs to turn a blind eye and let bygones be bygones.”
Jun Huailang’s hand involuntarily tightened.
Sure enough, he had realized it in his previous life: this monarch had always been ruthless.
His Jun family had kept a low profile for so many years, never daring to cause the Emperor even the slightest bit of trouble. Yet in his previous life, his own father had been falsely accused of embezzlement and convicted without a thorough investigation.
And now, the Xu family’s crimes of embezzlement were both firmly established, with sufficient evidence to confirm that they were the ones who had committed them. Yet even so, Qingping Emperor had left them a sliver of hope.
In Qingping Emperor’s eyes, what mattered more than the law and human sentiment was these people’s usefulness.
Those who were useless could simply be killed, without any need to investigate right and wrong. Those who were useful, even if they committed crimes, could still be granted an opportunity for mercy outside the law.
Jun Huailang took a deep breath.
“What is it?” Xue Yan keenly sensed the change in his emotions and lowered his head to ask.
Jun Huailang shook his head.
It was all in the past. There was no point in getting caught up in it again in this life because of this.
After calming himself, Jun Huailang said, “Even so, for the Emperor to issue such a decree, there must be someone else pushing things along, right?”
Xue Yan hummed in acknowledgment.
“The Xu family is saving themselves,” he said.
“The Xu family?” Jun Huailang asked. “How did they learn of this news?”
He paused, then looked up at Xue Yan.
“…The Eastern Depot?”
In Chang’an, aside from the Eastern Depot, there was probably no one else with such far-reaching connections and influence.
…But wasn’t the Eastern Depot on Xue Yan’s side?
Xue Yan hummed.
“The Eastern Depot leaked the news to the Xu family, allowing the Xu family to interfere,” he said.
Seeing the astonishment on Jun Huailang’s face, he gave a low laugh and raised his hand to brush against his cheek.
“What kind of loyalty or righteousness can those people in the Eastern Depot possibly speak of?” he said. “What they want isn’t a master. They want a puppet who will obey their every word and command.”
Jun Huailang looked at him.
Xue Yan spoke lightly.
“They originally thought I could be such a puppet. But now, it seems I’ve completely exceeded their control.”
“Then why are they helping the Xu family?” Jun Huailang asked.
Xue Yan said, “Perhaps they want to use the Xu family to break one of my legs, so that I’ll become a little more obedient.”
Jun Huailang was speechless for a moment.
He knew that struggles within the imperial court, especially those involving the imperial harem and imperial heirs, were particularly chaotic and filthy. But when such things happened to someone close to him, he still could not help feeling heartache.
He raised his hand and took Xue Yan’s hand.
Xue Yan clasped his hand in return.
“So, what is the situation in Chang’an now?” he asked the Embroidered Uniform Guard again.
The guard said, “When this subordinate left Chang’an, His Majesty was gathering troops. According to what we heard, His Majesty is summoning troops from a certain pass north of Chang’an. They are to assemble on the outskirts of Chang’an, where His Majesty will personally see them off.”
Jun Huailang felt the hand Xue Yan was holding tighten slightly.
After a moment, he gave a low laugh, his voice somewhat hoarse.
“…Just as expected,” he said.
Jun Huailang hurriedly looked at him.
Xue Yan pressed his lips together, as though suppressing something. After a moment, the corners of his lips curved into a mocking smile.
“Clever for an entire lifetime, yet he just can’t figure things out when it comes to something like this.”
Jun Huailang vaguely sensed that Xue Yan was referring to Qingping Emperor.
Xue Yan instructed the Embroidered Uniform Guard, “Go. Gather everyone. Tomorrow morning, set out with me.”
He paused, then added, “Have Duan Shisi go ahead first. Once he returns, have him guard the Duke of Yong’s residence. Nothing must go wrong.”
Jun Huailang hurriedly stood.
“You’re going back to Chang’an?”
Xue Yan looked at him.
“He thinks that by giving the Xu family a way to live and breaking their backbone, they will obey him even more from now on,” Xue Yan said. “But he forgot that what the Xu family has always wanted was never this.”
Jun Huailang paused, then slowly said,
“So, with an army at the gates, this is precisely the perfect time to cause chaos. If… they merely cling to life under His Majesty’s court, who knows what things will look like several years from now? So they want to stake everything on one final gamble. If they can change the dynasty and put a new Emperor on the throne, they can turn things around and regain control of the government?”
Xue Yan nodded.
“I have to go back,” he said casually. “…I can’t really let Xue Yunhong become Emperor.”
But Jun Huailang could see that his words did not quite match his thoughts.
There were still traces of panic hidden in his eyes.
Jun Huailang could more or less understand him.
Qingping Emperor was extremely selfish. Because of a single divination text, he had abandoned Xue Yan in Yan-Yun and ignored him. After Xue Yan fought desperately to return, he had even abused him repeatedly because of it.
But afterward, simply because the omen had been deciphered and there seemed to be a way to resolve it, Qingping Emperor was able to set his mind at ease and return to being a good father.
Capricious—loving someone and wanting them to live, hating someone and wanting them dead—and yet this person was precisely Xue Yan’s biological father.
Before this, Xue Yan had never received even the slightest bit of paternal love. Now, toward that person, besides his extreme hatred, he had probably also developed a bond that even he himself could not sever.
Human nature was complicated to such an extent that no one could do anything about it.
Jun Huailang pushed his chair aside and embraced Xue Yan head-on.
Xue Yan paused, then raised his hand and wrapped it around Jun Huailang’s shoulders.
“If he dies, he’ll only cause me more trouble,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Mm, I know,” Jun Huailang said softly. “But… General Xu Zonglun’s troops will probably be able to surround Chang’an. With these Embroidered Uniform Guards, how will you be able to contend with them when you return?”
“I’ve also made the worst-case preparations,” Xue Yan said.
“Hmm?”
“The Embroidered Uniform Guards returning to the capital with the memorials—I had already ordered them to split into two groups. One group went to Chang’an, and the other went to the northern frontier,” he said. “At this moment, the Yan-Yun Iron Cavalry has already set out and is lying in wait north of Chang’an, just waiting for my command.”