“Creak—”
The carved wooden door was gently pushed open. Xiao Ying entered first, with Lan Ningcheng following close behind.
Xiao Ying glanced at Li Ziao, whose face was ashen as he lay on the bed, but offered not a single word of unnecessary comfort.
“Finally awake?”
His indifferent gaze swept over the thick bandages wrapped around Li Ziao’s shoulder, and his voice turned slightly cold.
“Young General Li, you certainly have some impressive abilities. Not only did you attempt to take my man away, putting Yuexi in danger, but you also attacked and injured the personal guards of my residence. If I hadn’t made arrangements in advance, Yuexi might already have been abducted by the assassins, and you would be nothing more than a cold corpse lying at the bottom of that riverbed.”
There was an almost suffocating pressure beneath Xiao Ying’s words.
The situation had been carefully orchestrated, with every part linked to the next. It had nearly spiraled out of control because of Li Ziao, an unpredictable variable who charged headlong into everything without listening to a word anyone said.
Several of the prince’s personal guards had even been wounded because of his recklessness.
For a moment, Xiao Ying genuinely did not know whether he should praise the young man’s exceptional martial arts and quick reflexes or condemn him for being spectacularly stupid.
“I have already informed the Marquis of Jingbei and told him to send someone to bring you home as soon as possible.”
Xiao Ying delivered the statement from his lofty position, leaving no room for discussion.
At the mention of the Marquis of Jingbei, Li Ziao’s heart sank. The thirty lashes on his back, which had yet to heal, seemed to throb painfully all over again.
He raised his head despite the pain and looked at Xiao Ying with complicated feelings.
In the past, when he accompanied his father to the palace for an audience, he had caught a few distant glimpses of the famously beautiful Prince Yi. They had never spoken face-to-face.
Now that the prince stood so close, those peach-blossom eyes were indeed captivating enough to steal a person’s soul and leave an unforgettable impression.
Yet under that clear but icy gaze, Li Ziao suddenly felt uneasy and awkwardly looked away.
So what if he’s handsome? he grumbled inwardly.
He still had plenty of grievances about what had happened to Lord Yuexi.
Nevertheless, Xiao Ying was a prince of the reigning imperial family. Proper etiquette could not be disregarded.
Clenching his teeth, Li Ziao used his uninjured hand to force himself upright, struggling until he was sitting on the bed.
“…This subject pays his respects to Your Highness. My condition is no longer serious. Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life.”
His words were stiff and formal, clearly lacking any genuine gratitude.
“There is no need to thank me. We can put aside the matter of saving your life for now, but the accounts that need settling will be settled in full.”
Xiao Ying took a seat beside the tea table. The ivory folding fan in his hand tapped lightly against his palm, each strike slow and weighty.
“First, you publicly slandered me in front of my residence, accusing me of abusing my power, forcibly taking the person someone else loved, and unlawfully detaining another person. You have seriously damaged my reputation and that of the imperial family. Under the laws of the court, charging you with disrespect toward the emperor would be entirely justified. But for the sake of the Marquis of Jingbei, I will let it pass for now. If you insist on making trouble, we can settle this in court. If you cannot produce evidence to support your accusations, you know perfectly well what the consequences will be.”
Xiao Ying spoke with considerable severity.
He and Lord Yuexi had a written contract. Every payment due had been made in full. Although he had exclusively engaged Yuexi for a year, preventing him from accepting other clients, he had never restricted Yuexi’s freedom to receive visitors.
Not one of Li Ziao’s accusations had any basis in fact.
Li Ziao was left speechless, his face alternating between red and white.
He had certainly felt exhilarated when he had publicly denounced the prince outside his residence. Only now, after calming down, did he realize that insulting a reigning prince was tantamount to trampling on the dignity of the imperial family.
If the matter reached the imperial court, the entire Marquis of Jingbei’s household could be implicated.
“Second,” Xiao Ying continued, ignoring the apprehension in Li Ziao’s eyes, “Lord Yuexi has a contract with me and is, in name, under my protection for its duration. You rashly attempted to flee with him, dragging him into a deadly trap and injuring the personal guards I had assigned to protect him. In consideration of the fact that you took an arrow for him, I acknowledge your willingness to protect him. I will not pursue this matter any further.”
Li Ziao lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly. He could not find a single word to refute the accusation.
Xiao Ying narrowed his eyes, the chill in his gaze unmistakable.
“The condition for letting this matter go is that you agree to one thing: from this day onward, you are not to go anywhere near Yuexi. If you refuse, do not blame me for showing you no mercy.”
Silence fell over the room.
After a long moment, Li Ziao suddenly raised his head. The usual restlessness had vanished from his eyes, replaced by a rare, resolute determination.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I cannot do that!”
“Oh?”
Xiao Ying raised an eyebrow. His previously indifferent gaze plunged to freezing depths, and an intimidating pressure seemed to radiate from him.
“I am showing you respect for the sake of the Marquis of Jingbei. Does this mean the Li family intends to openly disregard me?”
“This subject has absolutely no such intention!”
Li Ziao’s voice was hoarse, but every word rang with conviction.
“In the past, I was arrogant, ignorant, and reckless. But after what happened last night, I have come to understand one thing—I want to get to know the real Lord Yuexi!”
Even knowing that Yuexi had no romantic feelings for him, and had once considered using him for his own purposes, Li Ziao discovered that he did not actually care.
He had once offered Yuexi his most sincere feelings. It was simply that, in the past, he had been too blind to see the other man clearly or understand the burdens he carried.
Hearing these words, Xiao Ying, Lan Ningcheng, and even Lord Yuexi were momentarily speechless.
The words idiot nearly escaped Xiao Ying’s mouth. He forcibly suppressed the urge to have this reckless young fool thrown straight out of his residence.
He knew that unless he severed this man’s obsession completely today, it would become a serious problem in the future.
“Li Ziao.”
Xiao Ying rose and looked down at him, his voice cold enough to pierce bone.
“I saved you because I was afraid that if you died, you would leave Yuexi entangled in a scandal. If you feel wronged by what happened today, you can go back to drinking yourself senseless at a tavern. If you cannot accept this, then use that head of yours for once and think carefully about one thing—who was it that treated you as a pawn to be manipulated at will?”
Although Li Ziao was impulsive, he was by no means stupid.
From Yuexi’s first question—Where is the item mentioned in your letter?—to those supposed personal guards dressed in the prince’s uniform but moving with the light, stealthy steps of covert operatives, and finally the swift, meticulously organized rescue after he had been shot, the truth suddenly dawned on him.
Throughout the entire scheme to stage a secret elopement, he had been the only fool kept completely in the dark.
Lord Yuexi had already suspected that the letter was a trap, and Prince Yi’s household had prepared for the situation well in advance.
Someone had been able to imitate Yuexi’s handwriting and manner of expression.
Someone had known exactly when Li Ziao would go to Shuyu Pavilion.
Someone had even been able to deploy forged waist tokens bearing the prince’s insignia and arrange for assassins to lie in ambush.
This was no private dispute between him and Yuexi. It was a sinister assassination plot, meticulously planned in advance.
He had thought himself a hero rushing to the rescue. In the end, he had nearly pushed Yuexi into a pit of fire and might even have cleared the way for the mastermind.
With his own abilities alone, he could not even reach the hem of his opponent’s clothing.
“Your Highness need not provoke me, nor do you need to tell me the truth right now.”
Li Ziao took a deep breath, aggravating the wound in his shoulder until he sucked in a sharp breath of pain. Yet a fierce smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“I, Li Ziao, may be reckless in the way I do things, but I’m not so stupid that I can be used as someone else’s weapon without realizing that someone is pushing me into a pit of fire and treating me like a pawn!”
He turned and gave Lord Yuexi a long, searching look. Then, gritting his teeth against the pain, he swung his legs off the bed and dropped heavily to his knees before Xiao Ying.
Xiao Ying’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“Does your father know about this?”
“No.”
“Does your elder brother know?”
“He does not.”
Li Ziao raised his head, his gaze as firm as iron.
“I only made up my mind just now. With my own abilities alone, there is absolutely no way I can uncover the mastermind behind this. Only by following Your Highness can I discover the truth!”
“Do you understand what kind of storm this statement would unleash in the capital tomorrow if it got out today?” Xiao Ying asked, his voice suddenly turning icy.
The Marquis of Jingbei, Li Hao, commanded the military and was a staunch loyalist of the current emperor. If his second legitimate son openly pledged himself to Prince Yi, the entire court would inevitably conclude that the Marquis of Jingbei’s household had secretly chosen a side in the struggle for the throne.
That would not be a source of support for Xiao Ying. It would be a disaster capable of destroying him.
He had no desire to attract the special “attention” of his imperial father and the Crown Prince.
“This prince does not need someone whose judgment is clouded by personal feelings. Besides, you are not even pledging your loyalty to me in the first place.”
“Of course I’m not doing this for Your Highness,” Li Ziao admitted frankly.
“…”
“I’m doing it for Yuexi.”
“…I know.”
Xiao Ying was utterly exasperated. He raised a hand and rubbed his temples.
The Marquis of Jingbei maintained such strict discipline in his army. How had he managed to raise a son like this?
Li Ziao had actually said aloud something that should never be stated so openly.
Had he been dealing with another ruthless prince, Li Ziao would already have been sent to serve in the border garrisons. How could he possibly still be negotiating terms here?
“Then let me ask you this. Why should I take you in?”
“I can protect Yuexi.” Li Ziao paused before adding, “And if Your Highness is there too, I can protect you as well, while I’m at it.”
Xiao Ying nearly choked.
He was still just an afterthought?
“…I would be better off assigning a few more personal guards. They would be more reliable than you.”
“Besides…”
Xiao Ying’s captivating peach-blossom eyes shifted, carrying a deliberately provocative, teasing glint.
He reached out and drew Lord Yuexi toward him. Then, holding the ivory folding fan in his slender fingers, he gently lifted Yuexi’s chin.
“Yuexi already belongs to me. Can you tolerate watching the two of us flirt and exchange endearments in the future?”
Lord Yuexi did not resist. Understanding exactly what Xiao Ying was doing, he realized that the prince was deliberately testing the limits of Li Ziao’s tolerance. He immediately played along, lowering his head slightly.
“…Your Highness, the young general is still watching.”
“And what of it? Let him see exactly how I usually dote on you.”
With a sharp snap, Xiao Ying opened his folding fan, shielding the sides of their faces from view. At the same time, he slipped his other arm around Yuexi’s slender waist and leaned down as though to kiss him.
He gauged the distance precisely, stopping just short of their lips touching.
Their breaths and body heat mingled at such close range.
Looking into Xiao Ying’s eyes from only inches away, Yuexi found them as clear and rational as ever, radiating an almost absolute composure.
For some reason, an indescribable emotion suddenly surged within him.
Again. It’s like this again.
In the past, at Shuyu Pavilion, his clients had regarded him as a commodity to be bought and sold. Yet most of them had looked at him with infatuation.
What gives this man the right to remain so calculating and clear-headed at all times?
Almost without realizing what he was doing, Yuexi lifted both arms and wrapped them around the back of Xiao Ying’s neck. Tightening his hold, he deliberately closed the last remaining distance and pressed his cool, thin lips firmly against the prince’s.
He wanted to see whether there was truly not a single crack beneath that eternally composed mask.
In that instant, he finally caught a flicker of uncertainty and miscalculation deep within Xiao Ying’s usually unruffled eyes.
The contact lasted only a brief moment before they quickly separated.
Neither of them had noticeably lost control of their breathing, yet the unexpected breach of boundaries had made both their hearts skip a beat.
Xiao Ying closed his folding fan. His complicated gaze briefly fell upon Yuexi’s lips, and he could still feel the soft warmth lingering on his own.
He quickly suppressed the stirrings within him.
From Li Ziao’s angle, most of the scene had been concealed by the folding fan, but the intimacy between the two men—and Yuexi’s actions—had been more than enough to pierce his eyes.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white and trembled.
Yet in the end, after taking several deep breaths, he managed to suppress his anger and slowly unclenched his hands.
“Your Highness need not test me like this.”
Li Ziao’s voice carried an unusual calmness.
“I expect nothing from him. If one day he chooses Your Highness, I will accept the outcome. I will even offer you both my blessings.”
Only then did Xiao Ying reassess the young man kneeling on the floor.
He had assumed Li Ziao was merely a reckless fool blinded by love. He had not expected the young man to possess a certain strength of character after all—to understand what he truly wanted and be willing to swallow his pain in order to pursue it.
“If Your Highness ever has need of me, please give the order.”
Every word Li Ziao spoke was firm and clear.
“I simply want to find out which bastard is trying to take Yuexi’s life!”
Lord Yuexi finally could not hold back any longer.
“Young General Li, this is a personal matter between Yuexi and his enemies. It has nothing to do with you.”
“How does it have nothing to do with me?!” Li Ziao pointed at the blood seeping through the bandage on his shoulder. “Someone treated me like a fool, set me up, and shot me with a poisoned arrow. How can you say that has nothing to do with me?”
“If you insist on getting involved, the entire Marquis of Jingbei’s household could be dragged into an irreversible disaster. Aren’t you afraid?”
“I’ll take responsibility for my own actions!”
Xiao Ying raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could already feel a headache coming on, and he interrupted their argument.
“Easy to say.”
He stared intently at Li Ziao, his voice heavy with authority.
“If one day you discover that following me will bring disaster upon your father, your elder brother, and even your entire family, will you still follow me?”
Li Ziao shuddered and went completely still.
He lowered his head deeply and clenched his fists again. Only after a long, painful struggle did he finally answer in a voice that was low but unmistakably clear.
“…If it truly comes to that, I will do everything in my power to prevent it. But if there really is no way out… I will still follow you!”
At last, his words revealed the decisiveness and sense of responsibility expected of someone born into a military family.
A nearly imperceptible flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Ying’s eyes, but his expression remained stern.
Lan Ningcheng leaned slightly toward Xiao Ying and reminded him in a low voice, “Your Highness, he is still a rusty blade. And the hilt… remains in the Marquis of Jingbei’s hands.”
Xiao Ying understood immediately.
In a cold voice, he said, “Young General Li, you need to understand what that word ‘Li’ represents in your name. Go and explain what you have said today to your father and elder brother first. But I must warn you: once you enter this game, there will be no way to withdraw from it unscathed.”
“This subject understands.”
Li Ziao swallowed, but still nodded firmly.
As soon as the words fell, hurried, heavy footsteps sounded outside the door.
The Marquis of Jingbei, Li Hao, had arrived in great haste.
When he received the secret letter from Prince Yi’s residence, Li Hao had still been asleep.
The letter contained only a single, cold line:
Your son attempted to elope with Lord Yuexi in the middle of the night and was ambushed. He has been rescued by Prince Yi’s residence. Come immediately to collect him.
The marquis entered the room and immediately saw his son kneeling beside the bed, as well as Lord Yuexi standing beside Xiao Ying.
Li Hao’s gaze fell upon Yuexi’s face. He did not see a peerlessly beautiful entertainer. Instead, he saw the terrible bloodshed and political turmoil concealed behind four words: the last surviving member of the Wu family.
He had initially assumed that his second son was merely indulging in some scandalous romantic affair. Although he had discovered in the past that Lord Yuexi was a descendant of the Wu family, he had regarded him as no more than a male courtesan incapable of stirring up any real trouble and had paid him little attention.
But now, Prince Yi had exclusively engaged Lord Yuexi, become involved with the Imperial Clan Court, and, on top of that, tonight’s staged elopement had nearly cost his second son his life.
Li Hao finally understood with complete clarity that this was a political conspiracy aimed at both the Marquis of Jingbei’s household and Prince Yi.
Alongside his fury, he felt an even deeper wariness toward Prince Yi.
He knew perfectly well that the current Prince Yi was no longer the idle prince who had once avoided political affairs.
Yet he had gone to sleep and awakened to find himself owing the prince an enormous debt of gratitude.
He would never have dreamed that something like this could happen.
He had no idea what Xiao Ying was planning or whether the prince intended to compete for the throne. But the Li family absolutely could not afford to grow too close to him.
“This subject pays his respects to Your Highness. My foolish son has acted recklessly and caused Your Highness an enormous amount of trouble. I have failed to educate him properly. When we return home, I will discipline him strictly. I will personally visit another day to apologize!”
Li Hao suppressed his fury and bowed respectfully to Xiao Ying.
“There is no need for an apology. Marquis, take your son home and make sure he recovers properly.”
Xiao Ying waved a hand.
Li Hao strode forward and delivered a heavy slap to the back of Li Ziao’s head.
“Why haven’t you thanked His Highness for saving your life?”
Rubbing the back of his aching head, Li Ziao lowered his head.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life.”
Li Hao immediately placed his hand on his son’s head and pressed it down even lower. Turning back to Xiao Ying, he said solemnly, “The Marquis of Jingbei’s household will remember Your Highness’s great kindness today.”
Xiao Ying put on his usual lazy smile.
“Marquis, there is no need to dwell on it. I have already explained Young General Li’s conduct to him. For now, we shall consider the matter closed.”
He paused, his tone carrying an indifferent finality that allowed no argument.
“As for how you choose to discipline your son after returning home, that is not something I should interfere with.”
Li Hao’s heart sank.
He understood the deeper meaning behind Xiao Ying’s words.
If the prince had insisted on pursuing the matter, it would actually have been easier to handle.
Instead, Xiao Ying had chosen not to pursue it while deliberately leaving certain things unsaid. He was offering Li Hao a favor while also observing the Li family’s response.
And in court politics, the hardest debts to repay were precisely these ambiguous favors.
He had merely gone to sleep, yet when he awoke, the entire world seemed to have changed.
This was no longer just a matter of his son disgracing the family.
It was a new political problem that the Li family might now have to face.
When he had first discovered that his son was spending the family’s money on a male courtesan, those thirty lashes had apparently been far too lenient.
If he had known things would come to this, he should have broken the rebellious boy’s legs in the ancestral hall. Then he would never have been able to go out and cause trouble.
“…This subject understands.”
Li Hao led Li Ziao out of the room.
As they reached the doorway, Li Ziao suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Lord Yuexi.
Some of the restlessness had faded from the young man’s face, replaced by a more composed expression.
“Yuexi, I know you don’t like me.”
Li Ziao tugged at the corner of his mouth, managing a somewhat forlorn yet stubborn smile.
He looked deeply at the other man.
“But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up on getting to know the real you.”
Lord Yuexi quietly watched him leave, his eyes filled with profound and complicated emotions.
◇◆◇◆◇
After Li Ziao departed, Xiao Ying also left the guest room.
He walked along the corridors of his residence, with Lord Yuexi and Lan Ningcheng following on either side behind him.
Xiao Ying turned his head slightly to look at Yuexi. His tone betrayed neither anger nor amusement.
“…You’re getting bolder by the day.”
Yuexi raised his eyes without changing his expression.
“Since we were putting on a performance for Young General Li, it naturally had to look convincing. Please rest assured, Your Highness. I took the initiative just now, so I won’t charge you any additional fees.”
As a “commodity” of Shuyu Pavilion, Yuexi had always charged according to different rates for artistic performances and physical contact.
“Then I suppose I should thank you for your ‘generous hospitality.’”
Xiao Ying was left speechless.
“Your Highness,” Yuexi continued, lightly brushing his fingertips across his lips, his gaze cool and detached, “in the past, when I was at Shuyu Pavilion, I always maintained proper boundaries with my clients. I never voluntarily approached anyone, nor did I ever truly allow anyone to touch me.”
He had always been deeply averse to physical contact with others. Yet just now, seeing Xiao Ying’s deliberate restraint and composure, he had inexplicably leaned forward and kissed him.
In the past, so many people had spent fortunes on him simply for the chance to look at him from a distance.
He had thought that perhaps some ridiculous remnant of pride within himself had driven him to do what he had done. But afterward, he found himself questioning that explanation.
Because even he could not clearly explain what, exactly, had wavered inside him at that moment.
Xiao Ying stopped walking and turned to face him, his tone complicated.
“That’s not the issue at all…”
Yuexi nearly walked straight into him. He quickly stopped and bowed slightly.
“I overstepped, Your Highness. I offended you. Please punish me as you see fit.”
Xiao Ying regarded him in silence for a moment before finally sighing and resuming his steps.
“Forget it. We have more important matters to discuss.”
The three of them entered the study. The heavy wooden doors closed behind them, shutting out the noise of the outside world.
Just two days earlier, in this very same study, wisps of aloeswood incense had curled into the air.
Xiao Ying had stood before the desk, his gaze sharp as he studied a topographical map of the southern outskirts of the capital spread across the tabletop, along with the letter held in place by a paperweight.
The moment Lord Yuexi received the letter, he had already ordered someone to deliver it to Xiao Ying.
And when Yuexi sent out the reply he had written himself, Xiao Ying’s men had been secretly tracking its movements the entire time.
Following that trail, Xiao Ying had quietly dispatched people to investigate, but they discovered that the opposing side had established a tightly controlled, compartmentalized network.
“The Shuyu Pavilion worker responsible for switching the letters only knew that someone had paid him to do a job. The servant who delivered the message only knew whom he was supposed to give the letter to. And the person who forged the letter was responsible only for imitating the handwriting and format.”
Lan Ningcheng’s slender fingers moved lightly across the topographical map as he spoke in a grave tone.
“Each person knew only the small part they had been assigned. We cannot trace it back to the source.”
They had interrogated two Shuyu Pavilion servants, one worker, and one forger.
All of them had merely received a substantial payment from a man dressed in gray. The information had been fragmented at every level, making it impossible to trace the operation back to its origin.
All they could establish was the sequence of events and the contents of the letter Li Ziao had received.
It had been a desperate farewell letter written in Lord Yuexi’s name, pleading for rescue.
The letter had portrayed Prince Yi as a cruel, tyrannical monster and begged Li Ziao, in words dripping with anguish, to meet him at the abandoned kiln south of the city at midnight and take him away.
Xiao Ying curled his lips into a cold smile.
“Someone wanted to use that foolish, gullible goose, Li Ziao, to lure Yuexi out.”
“What a scheme.” Lan Ningcheng frowned slightly. “Do you think Li Ziao will fall for it?”
“He is impulsive by nature and never considers the consequences. That is why he recklessly came to my residence to insult me. The chances of him taking the bait are extremely high. But even if he does not go, as long as Lord Yuexi shows up, the other party may still make their move.”
After carefully examining the topographical map of the southern outskirts, Lan Ningcheng pinpointed the flaw in the plan.
“The abandoned kiln south of the city is surrounded by overgrown weeds and rarely visited by anyone. At first glance, the area appears vast and desolate, but there is really only one practical route: following this dried-up riverbed south. If I stationed men to block one section, the prey would naturally flee toward the other exit without thinking.”
Xiao Ying gave a cold laugh.
“The person who set this trap isn’t showing them the way. They’re herding sheep.”
He studied the route on the map, which looked suspiciously clear and unobstructed, and his expression darkened.
This was no simple assassination attempt. It was a killing scheme built around a calculated understanding of human nature.
“Precisely.”
Lan Ningcheng pointed to the letter on the desk.
“One letter exploited Young Master Yuexi’s obsession with uncovering the truth behind the Wu family’s old case. The other exploited the young general’s infatuation and impulsiveness. Two forged letters created the illusion of a secret elopement, luring both men into a deadly trap.”
“If something happened to Young Master Yuexi while they were fleeing, Li Ziao would be unable to clear his name. He would be accused of secretly taking someone from Prince Yi’s residence. The two would then supposedly encounter unknown assailants during their attempted elopement, leaving Lord Yuexi attacked and missing—or even dead. The entire narrative has been prepared in advance, including the official explanation to be given afterward.”
Xiao Ying’s gaze turned utterly cold.
“The mastermind did not merely want to lure them out. They had already prepared the charges to pin on someone. Whoever investigates the case afterward, the outcome could still benefit the person behind the scenes.”
His imperial father had already taken notice of Lord Yuexi. The enemy could not simply send someone to eliminate him at will. They had to arrange circumstances that would appear “reasonable” and “justifiable.”
Xiao Ying’s fingertips finally came to rest on the abandoned kiln marked on the map.
“Since our opponent has already prepared the stage, we might as well go along with the performance. I’ll help him arrange the actors.”
He decided to turn the scheme against its creator, a murderous glint passing through his eyes.
“Pass down the order. Divide the prince’s personal guards into three groups. The outermost group will seal off both ends of the riverbed. The middle group will lie in wait. The innermost group will keep watch over the abandoned kiln and ensure the safety of Yuexi and Young General Li. Do not alert our prey.”
By the following night, events had unfolded largely as they had anticipated.
The only variable had been Li Ziao, who had remained completely beyond their control from beginning to end.
That reckless fool had refused to listen to a word Lord Yuexi said, dragging him away the moment danger appeared. In the process, he had even taken an arrow meant for Yuexi.
Had the personal guards of Prince Yi’s residence not closed the net in time, Li Ziao might truly have died in that staged elopement.
Xiao Ying withdrew from his thoughts, walked over to a chair, and sat down.
“Has the assassin we captured alive confessed?”
Of the men posing as Prince Yi’s personal guards and the black-clad assassins at the abandoned kiln, some had escaped and others had died. They had managed to capture only one.
They had not handed him over to the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review. If they did, there was a good chance the man would suffer an “unexplained death” in prison, severing the trail completely.
“He has just begun talking. He is a low-ranking killer who takes assignments through the Shadow Pavilion. The information was compartmentalized at every level, so he has no idea who his employer really is. He has revealed only two useful details.”
Lan Ningcheng’s expression grew grave.
“First, the order they received was not to kill Young General Li, but to capture Lord Yuexi. If they could not capture him…”
He paused, his expression darkening.
“Then they were to kill him.”
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the study seemed to freeze.
Lord Yuexi showed little surprise. The poisoned crossbow bolt had originally been aimed at him; Li Ziao had simply taken it in his place.
He knew that if anyone suspected that he or Xiao Ying might be investigating the Wu family case, they would inevitably try to silence him.
Yet he felt no fear. Instead, he became even more certain that the case involving the Wu family concealed an enormous, unspeakable injustice.
Xiao Ying lowered his eyes.
Two letters.
One filled with tender declarations of love.
The other steeped in a blood feud.
Two entirely different baits, yet both had led the same person toward the same killing ground.
Three years ago, Wu Jiuling had been nothing more than an insignificant “survivor.”
But things were different now.
He had become entangled with Prince Yi.
And Prince Yi had become involved with the Imperial Clan Court.
Xiao Ying slowly turned his head and looked deeply at Lord Yuexi, who stood to one side.
“Three years ago, they killed the entire Wu family.”
“This time… they want Wu Jiuling.”
What the enemy feared was not Wu Jiuling himself. What they feared was the prince standing behind him, beginning to ask questions on his behalf—and possessing the power to reopen the case.
The enemy did not know how much information they had already uncovered. But if they captured Wu Jiuling, they could force the answers out of him.
“The more impatient our opponent becomes, the more moves they will make, and the more flaws they will reveal.” Lord Yuexi’s eyes were as cold as ice. “If they dared to commit those crimes back then, they should have been prepared to face the consequences.”
“What was the other thing?” Xiao Ying asked.
Lan Ningcheng handed him a sheet of paper bearing the drawing of an emblem.
The instant Xiao Ying’s gaze fell upon it, his eyes turned icily sharp.
He picked up the paper and looked at Lan Ningcheng.
“Are you certain?”
“Absolutely.”
Lan Ningcheng replied gravely, “The assassin said that on the day they met their contact, a strong wind blew open the gray-clad man’s cloak. He happened to glimpse a jade pendant worn close to the man’s body. The emblem carved on it was this half-open peony.”
To ensure there was no mistake, he had deliberately drawn the emblem and asked the assassin to confirm it.
Xiao Ying stared coldly at the emblem.
A half-open peony.
Throughout the Great Sheng dynasty, quite a few families used peonies as their family emblems. But only the core members of the Sheng clan were entitled to use the half-open peony.
Xiao Ying’s thin lips parted, and he uttered two icy words.
“The Sheng clan.”
Amid the hidden currents swirling through the imperial court and the capital, the Sheng clan’s shadow always seemed to follow like a ghost. Even in the Imperial Clan Court’s investigations into old cases involving the imperial family, the name Sheng appeared from time to time.
Lan Ningcheng frowned deeply.
“However, Your Highness, a jade pendant glimpsed by a low-ranking assassin is nowhere near enough to take action against Sheng Yuanli openly. What’s more… this could also be bait deliberately left behind by the other party.”
Xiao Ying walked to the window, where the light outlined the coldness in his expression.
“I know.”
His voice was deep and unfathomable.
“Sheng Yuanli is an old fox who has always been meticulous in everything he does. He would never leave direct evidence behind. But if he truly is responsible, then no matter how flawlessly he covers his tracks, he will eventually reveal his tail.”
Xiao Ying changed the subject, narrowing his eyes.
“Chief Steward Lan, don’t you think the methods used in this scheme look familiar?”
“Your Highness means… the ‘Pruning Case’?”
“Exactly.”
Xiao Ying gave a cold laugh.
“Every layer was separated from the next. Each person was responsible for only a small part of the task, and some did not even know one another. The worker, the servant, the forger, the assassins… Taken individually, each task seems insignificant. But when linked together, they form a flawless killing scheme. This extreme degree of compartmentalized control is identical to what we saw in the Pruning Case.”
Lan Ningcheng contemplated the matter for a moment.
“That is certainly a lead worth investigating further.”
“If the mastermind behind the Wu family massacre is the same person responsible for the Pruning Case… who gave him the audacity to act so brazenly? And why would he risk having his entire household confiscated and his clan exterminated just to target the current imperial heir and high-ranking ministers?”
“That is indeed unusual. No ordinary member of the nobility would dare act with such reckless cruelty. There may be secrets behind this that we still know nothing about.”
Xiao Ying’s voice sank.
“Regardless, if this half-open peony is a poisonous flower harming Great Sheng, I will not wait until it blooms in full before pulling it out by the roots.”
“Your Highness,” Lan Ningcheng interjected at the appropriate moment, interrupting Xiao Ying’s thoughts. “What do you intend to do about Young General Li?”
The Li family was a dangerous blade for them to wield.
They could not use it openly, because that would arouse the suspicions of the emperor and the Crown Prince.
Although Li Ziao himself possessed considerable agility and martial skill, everything he had done so far had only served to disrupt their plans. He was an extremely unstable, rusty blade.
Xiao Ying narrowed his eyes.
Li Ziao himself was a problem.
And the greatest unexpected consequence of this scheme was that it had dragged the Marquis of Jingbei’s household into the game.
Had events unfolded according to the enemy’s script, Lord Yuexi might have disappeared, Li Ziao would have been accused of abducting him to elope, and Prince Yi’s residence would have filed charges against the young general.
But now that the enemy’s plan had failed, the Marquis of Jingbei, a staunch supporter of imperial authority, would learn that someone had used his son to plot against Lord Yuexi.
The enemy had personally pushed the Li family onto the chessboard.
Xiao Ying fell silent for a moment before making his decision.
“As for Li Ziao, let the Marquis of Jingbei interrogate his own son. The Li family is loyal to the imperial throne above all else. They would never dare openly declare their allegiance to one side.”
“Are you worried that the Marquis of Jingbei’s household might suspect we have ulterior motives?” Lan Ningcheng asked.
“No.”
Xiao Ying’s voice turned cold.
“I’m worried that someone will use him again. Li Ziao is far too easy to wield as a weapon. If I bring him into Prince Yi’s residence now, I will only give our opponent another opportunity to set a trap and sow discord between us and the Li family. I have no desire to create further complications.”
Lan Ningcheng bowed his head in acknowledgment.
Xiao Ying turned his attention back to the peony emblem on the desk.
What kind of roots was this half-open peony drawing its nourishment from?
And what would happen when it finally bloomed?
He had to uncover the truth before that peony came into full flower.