Chapter 27
Chapter 27
That night, Shen Yuan was bent over his work when an account book suddenly dropped from the sky and struck the desk, startling him.
He looked up to see that one of the roof tiles above had been removed.
Shen Yuan did not give chase.
The intruder had shifted a roof tile and thrown the book down without making a sound, which meant his lightness skill surpassed Shen Yuan’s. Within the prefectural yamen, the only person with better lightness skill than him was Wuji, Xie Chengze’s personal guard.
Wuji had not shown himself throughout the journey, but that did not mean he had not been at Xie Chengze’s side.
Shen Yuan picked up the account book and opened it. The corner of his mouth twitched.
What atrocious handwriting.
But when he read what was written inside, his expression changed sharply.
It was an account book, and it recorded the amounts held in the granaries and silver treasuries of every disaster-stricken county yamen.
Its contents differed drastically from the account book Liang Wanda had given him, and the details were so exhaustive that their authenticity was beyond doubt.
In his previous life, the investigation into the Yizhou corruption case had been the first time Shen Yuan confronted the bottomless greed of corrupt officials. One of their schemes had filled him with such fury that he had practically burned every entry in those accounts into his memory.
He could therefore quickly confirm that these records were nearly identical to those from his previous life.
Those animals had been blinded by greed. They had embezzled every last tael of the additional one hundred thousand taels sent by the court!
Shen Yuan slammed the account book onto the desk in fury. Only after calming down did another thought occur to him.
Why had Xie Chengze sent Wuji to deliver this account book to him?
Could he truly be so kind?
Unable to believe it, Shen Yuan even began to wonder whether some reclusive master from among the common people might be responsible.
But why had that person never appeared in his previous life?
Could it really have been Xie Chengze?
He would have to sound him out tomorrow.
…
The next day, Shen Yuan waited until the sun was high before Xie Chengze finally rose and left his room.
He really could sleep.
Leaning against a wooden pillar outside the corridor, Shen Yuan privately looked down on him. When he saw Wuji beside Xie Chengze, his eyes flickered. Pretending that he too was about to go out, he stepped forward and struck up a conversation.
“And this is? I don’t believe we have met before.” Shen Yuan studied Wuji, seeming to guess at his identity. “I have heard that Your Highness keeps two great experts at his side, one named Wuhen and the other Wuji. Could this be Wuji?”
Xie Chengze nodded.
“I thought Your Highness had brought only one of those experts on this journey. So the other was here as well. I inspected the road conditions all along our route, yet never detected the slightest trace of this subordinate of yours…” Shen Yuan’s words carried an unmistakable implication.
Xie Chengze gave him a weightless glance. “It seems Lord Shen is still too much of a noob. You should train your martial arts more diligently from now on.”
Shen Yuan: “?”
From the context, Shen Yuan deduced that “noob” must mean his martial skill was lacking, which was why he had failed to detect Wuji’s presence.
Unwilling to give up, Shen Yuan’s gaze swept over Wuji as he tried to discern something.
Even the emperor’s shadow guards might not be capable of investigating the silver treasuries and granaries of nearly half of Yizhou’s counties in so little time. If Wuji had done it, the exhaustion from such prolonged and relentless travel would inevitably show in his physical condition.
Noticing Shen Yuan’s gaze, Wuji hugged his sword and cast him a cool glance. “Your Highness, this subordinate’s legs are aching from all that running, yet no one shows this subordinate the slightest concern.”
His unspoken meaning was: What are you staring at? I look this worn out because of you, brat!
All the fruits of his grueling journey had gone to this punk in the end!
Shen Yuan: “…”
“If your legs hurt, go back and rest.” Xie Chengze was an excellent employer who cared deeply for his staff. He stepped into the carriage, then turned back to Shen Yuan. “Are you heading out as well, Lord Shen? Why not ride with me?”
Shen Yuan also wanted to see what Xie Chengze was up to, so he raised a hand in invitation. “After you, Your Highness.”
Wuji gave a soft snort. “I trust Lord Shen will take good care of His Highness and show him no neglect!”
Shen Yuan looked up. Seeing the provocation all over Wuji’s face, he curled his lips into a smile. “Naturally. You needn’t concern yourself.”
With that, he followed Xie Chengze into the carriage.
The moment he stepped inside, he found Xie Chengze sprawled gracelessly over the couch table, neither sitting nor lying properly, like a rotten fish.
His temple twitched. Half mocking and half sarcastic, Shen Yuan said, “Your Highness’s posture is truly one of a kind.”
“Want to try it? It feels amazing.” Xie Chengze patted the spot beside him with one small hand, enthusiastically recommending it.
“This subject is not so fortunate.” Shen Yuan sat down to one side. His posture could not be called perfectly proper, yet every movement was fluid and elegant. Coupled with his exceptionally handsome face, it lent him all the air of a dashing gentleman.
Xie Chengze secretly rolled his eyes.
Suit yourself. Just don’t whine when your back starts hurting later.
The carriage headed out of the city and gradually entered the mountains. As the road grew rougher, the entire carriage began to sway, yet Shen Yuan remained steady as a mountain, an account book in hand as he read it closely.
Xie Chengze could not resist asking, “Lord Shen, don’t you find it bumpy?”
Was his back really that strong?
Without even lifting his eyelids, Shen Yuan replied mildly, “I have ridden horses since childhood. I am long accustomed to jolting far worse than this.”
Xie Chengze envied him in silence.
After a while, Shen Yuan saw Xie Chengze tossing and turning on the couch table, rubbing his lower back now and again yet stubbornly refusing to make a sound. He sighed inwardly.
He put down the account book and sat beside Xie Chengze.
“If Your Highness does not object, this subject can loosen it for you.”
Loosen what? Xie Chengze was still confused when Shen Yuan said, “Forgive the offense.”
In the next instant, a broad, slender hand settled over Xie Chengze’s waist. The soft, delicate curve seemed narrow enough to fit within his grasp. Though the summer heat was already sweltering, Shen Yuan could still feel the scorching warmth beneath his palm radiating from the other man’s skin.
He pressed down firmly, drawing a muffled groan from the man beneath him.
A pair of reddened eyes glared furiously up at him, and a hoarse voice demanded, “Be gentler!”
Something subtle trembled in Shen Yuan’s chest.
An equally red pair of watery eyes flashed through his mind, aggrieved yet stubborn.
His gaze darkened. Ignoring how even the man’s annoyed expression overflowed with captivating allure, Shen Yuan slowly kneaded the stiff muscles of his waist soft and worked out the knots within.
It hurt badly at first, and Xie Chengze whimpered several times. Once the massage gradually grew comfortable, however, his waist became sensitive again, and every rub tickled.
Xie Chengze buried his face in the bolster. Suppressed laughter made his entire tall, slender body tremble, while his lower back squirmed restlessly under the ticklish sensation, making one want to pin him firmly to the couch table and forbid him to move.
Massaging a waist was tiring work. Perhaps because he had not touched a drop of water throughout the journey, Shen Yuan felt his mouth grow dry and his mood increasingly irritable.
The carriage stopped just then, and the driver called, “Your Highness, Lord Shen, we have arrived.”
Shen Yuan withdrew his hand. Lowering his eyes to conceal the turmoil within them, he rose and strode quickly out of the carriage. “Your Highness, this subject will alight first.”
Xie Chengze lifted his head from the bolster, his little face flushed crimson and burning hot. He picked up the gold-threaded fan beside him and fanned himself several times. Then something suddenly occurred to him, and his expression changed sharply.
He yanked up the carriage curtain and roared at Shen Yuan like a lioness from Hedong, “Shen! You heartless bastard! You’re this good at it, but you just watched my back hurt the whole way here!”
The driver coughed a few times, stealing suggestive glances at the two men.
The vein in Shen Yuan’s temple throbbed even harder.
Could he please just shut up?!