Chapter 138

Hearing Shen Yuan’s voice, Su Qinghe turned in surprise. “Brother Shen?”

Right, he remembered now. Elder Gu had said Shen Yuan was in Liaozhou too. He’d simply assumed Big Brother Shen would be handling business at the prefectural seat, not staying with His Highness in this tiny county yamen.

Naturally, he was happy to see him. He smiled and explained, “I came in answer to a summons, to help Elder Gu with work in Liaozhou.”

“Whose summons?” Shen Yuan relaxed his brows and walked over naturally, showing no sign of anything unusual.

“His Highness’s, I suppose,” Su Qinghe said after thinking. “He wanted my cakes.”

Hah.

A faint, cold smile touched Shen Yuan’s lips. Someone certainly knew how to enjoy himself. For a bite of pastry, he’d actually summoned the man himself.

Or perhaps it wasn’t just for a bite of pastry.

His gaze fell on Su Qinghe’s food box. Seemingly casual, he asked, “There aren’t many ingredients in the yamen. What did you use?”

“I guessed there might not be ingredients here, so I bought some on the way,” Su Qinghe answered honestly. His gaze fell to Shen Yuan’s arms, and he caught a faint scent of cooked oil. “Brother Shen, what are you carrying…?”

“Nothing. Food for a dog.” Shen Yuan raised his sleeve to cover the things in his arms. “Don’t concern yourself with it.”

A dog?

Was there a dog in this yamen?

A trace of puzzlement appeared in Su Qinghe’s eyes, but he soon dismissed the question and nodded. “Brother Shen, these cakes will be cold soon. I’ll take them to His Highness first. We can talk afterward.”

He had so much to say. What His Highness had done for him, what he’d been doing lately, and how he’d finally found things he enjoyed and was good at.

“Let’s go together,” Shen Yuan said mildly, stepping ahead. “I happen to need His Highness too.”

“Ah. Oh, all right.” Su Qinghe nodded. Yet somehow, his gaze kept drifting to the things concealed in Shen Yuan’s arms.

Strange. He distinctly smelled something like fried fruit cakes…

Did even the yamen’s dogs eat this well?

Carrying his questions, Su Qinghe followed Shen Yuan toward Xie Chengze’s room. At the door, Shen Yuan knocked. When there was no answer, he simply pushed it open and entered.

Su Qinghe: !!!

Was that really permissible?!

This was His Highness’s room! Surely barging in without being summoned wasn’t proper!

Shen Yuan opened the door too quickly for Su Qinghe to stop him. He could only watch him walk inside, turn a corner, and vanish. Su Qinghe stood at the door, hesitating over whether to follow, until a very faint sound of a sword being drawn startled him back to attention.

Shing!

Who had drawn a sword?!

Worried for Xie Chengze’s safety, Su Qinghe abandoned all concern for ruler-and-subject etiquette and hurried inside.

Xie Chengze was no longer at the desk. Su Qinghe frantically looked around and saw Shen Yuan confronting a man in black. The blue-green sword usually hanging at Shen Yuan’s waist was now held against the other man’s neck.

The man in black stood before the heated brick bed, his back to Shen Yuan, facing the two people asleep on it. His right hand rested on the saber hilt at his waist, exposing a stretch of pale, gleaming, sharp blade.

It looked as though he were about to draw it and murder someone.

The food box dropped from Su Qinghe’s hand with a clatter. “An assassin?!”

“What are you doing?”

Shen Yuan’s voice was icy. He had recognized the man: Wuhen.

Why had Wuhen suddenly drawn his saber on Xie Chengze? Had he discovered that Xie Chengze wasn’t the Second Prince?

If so, Shen Yuan absolutely couldn’t leave him alive… Together with the Chief, he should be able to handle Wuhen. But whose side would Wuji take? If Wuji wanted to kill Xie Chengze too, things would be difficult…

In that instant, countless thoughts passed through Shen Yuan’s mind. He even wondered what would happen to Xie Chengze, alone here afterward, if he himself couldn’t defeat Wuhen and Wuji.

Without them, who would protect him?

The people who’d once protected him cared about the “Second Prince,” not Xie Chengze.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have opened his heart to Xie Chengze that day. His indulgence had let Xie Chengze become less and less like the “Second Prince,” until Wuhen and Wuji noticed something wrong…

At the thought that he’d put Xie Chengze in danger, a chill spread through his entire body, and even his arm began trembling.

“Su Qinghe, find Zhu Xiaobiao. Tell him to fetch the Chief and Second Chief.”

Tightening his grip on the blue-green sword, he pressed closer to Wuhen and gave Su Qinghe the order.

Su Qinghe hastily nodded, turned, and ran. Though he had no idea who these chiefs were, he’d seen Zhu Xiaobiao. He could surely find him!

As the departing footsteps faded, Wuhen lowered his eyes, paying no attention to the sharp sword at his neck. His hand pressed down slightly, pushing the half-exposed saber back into its sheath.

His thin lips parted, his voice cold. “Still not getting up?”

It was unclear whom he addressed. In any case, no one moved. Finally exhausting his last scrap of patience, Wuhen stepped forward and seized the collar of Wuji, who was pretending to sleep while holding the young man on the heated brick bed. Without a trace of mercy, he dragged him toward the door.

Passing Shen Yuan, Wuhen turned his head slightly and paused. Though black gauze covered his eyes, Shen Yuan could still feel his cold contempt.

His thin lips curved in a strongly provocative smile, infuriating to behold.

Yet the provocation lasted only an instant before vanishing. Wuhen turned back and continued walking, dragging a thoroughly undignified Wuji at his feet. Finding that feigned sleep wouldn’t work, Wuji could only open his eyes and call to the person on the bed, “Your Highness! Time to get up, Your Highness!”

His voice was loud. Xie Chengze finally began waking, but had time only to see Wuji’s feet disappear around the corner by the door.

Xie Chengze: ?

Hm? What had happened?

Still muddled from sleep, he rubbed his drowsy eyes and looked at the only man left in the room. “Shen Yuan? Why are you here? Do you need something?”

“Hah. What could I possibly need?” By now, Shen Yuan could clearly see that Wuhen had drawn his saber not to kill Xie Chengze, but Wuji, who had no sense of propriety and actually dared sleep beside his master.

But whose guard could be so improper, daring to share a bed and pillow with his master?

The master must be deliberately indulging him…

Shen Yuan thrust his blue-green sword forcefully back into its sheath and said flatly, “Your Highness certainly has people attending to every aspect of life: food, clothing, lodging, and travel.”

For food, Su Qinghe fed him right at his lips. For lodging, Wuji slept beside him. For travel, the Second Chief even served as his cushion. All that was missing was clothing…

Shen Yuan gave a cold snort and couldn’t resist the sarcasm. “Shall I help you dress and undress day and night from now on?”