When he had untied the sash down to the undergarment, Wen Zhuo suddenly seized Shen Zheng’s hand, his fingertips tightening slightly.
The great matter had yet to be settled. How could he indulge in passion?
This was contrary to Wen Zhuo’s usual principles when making plans.
He had to wait until everything was fully prepared, until the outcome was decided and there was absolutely no possibility of failure, before allowing himself to sink into pleasure, enjoy it, and relax for even a moment.
“Tomorrow we still have to face each other in court. What does Your Highness intend to do?” Wen Zhuo’s ears were still burning hot, yet he gazed steadily at Shen Zheng, his eyes clear.
Shen Zheng did not force him. His fingers came to a natural stop, and a hint of amusement flickered through his eyes. His tone was candid. “I only want to be a little closer to my teacher.”
“The New Year has not yet arrived, and Your Highness is only eighteen.” Wen Zhuo looked away.
Shen Zheng raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“...You are at an age when your blood runs hot and your passions are easily stirred. You urgently need restraint.” Wen Zhuo pressed his lips together, his ears growing even redder.
He was a man himself, and naturally knew how strong a man’s desires could be at that age—and how difficult they were to suppress.
“You’re so tired today that you can barely keep your eyes open. I’m worried about you enough as it is. I won’t do anything.” As he spoke, Shen Zheng gently moved Wen Zhuo’s hand aside and patiently retied the sash of his undergarment, the knot still neat and efficient.
Wen Zhuo eyed him suspiciously, somewhat surprised by his self-control.
Yet Shen Zheng truly did as he had said. He merely removed their heavy outer robes, tucked the bundled-up Wen Zhuo into the bedding, then snuffed out the lamps and lifted the covers to climb in beside him.
The bed was narrow to begin with, and the two of them lay extremely close, practically pressed tightly together.
Through the thin fabric of their undergarments, Wen Zhuo could clearly feel the scorching heat radiating from Shen Zheng’s body, as well as the firm muscles that disturbed his composure.
Shen Zheng kissed him once on the forehead, then reached out and wrapped an arm around his back. His voice was low. “Go to sleep.”
Now, instead, Wen Zhuo found himself unable to sleep. By the faint glow cast by the brazier, he tried to discern even the slightest hint of frustration, disappointment, unwillingness, or anger on Shen Zheng’s face.
There was none.
“Is that all?” His voice was muffled beneath the thick quilt, carrying an awkwardness difficult for ordinary people to understand.
He suddenly found himself uncertain whether Shen Zheng had truly wanted to do something intimate with him, and whether Shen Zheng could really share his own abnormal desire for a man in the same way one desired a woman.
Shen Zheng opened his eyes. “What is?”
Wen Zhuo twisted around awkwardly and turned his back to Shen Zheng, wriggling deeper beneath the quilt.
Taking advantage of the movement, he unintentionally rubbed his buttocks against Shen Zheng. He immediately felt the muscles throughout Shen Zheng’s body tense, and even the spot marked by the birthmark grew engorged and rose.
Shen Zheng clearly had desires of his own. Had he really managed to restrain himself?
It seemed this was not the first time Shen Zheng had exercised such restraint.
When he had dried Wen Zhuo’s hair, rinsed him during his bath, applied medicine to his wounds, and dressed and fastened his clothes, there had been countless opportunities to overstep the bounds and violate propriety. Yet Shen Zheng had remained solemn and meticulous, as though he would never permit any shallow impulse or emotion to influence his actions.
Strange.
He had never encountered anyone like this before.
As though he had seen straight through Wen Zhuo’s thoughts, Shen Zheng tightened his arm and lifted him directly out of the bedding. He turned him over so they were face-to-face.
“What is my teacher testing?” Shen Zheng asked, suppressing a laugh. He gave Wen Zhuo’s lips a light, punitive nip, then lowered his voice, his breath hot against him. “Of course I desire you, Teacher. But compared to physical pleasure, I prefer the enjoyment of the mind. Restraining myself isn’t that difficult for me.”
“I was not testing anything.” Embarrassment showed in Wen Zhuo’s eyes. He hastily seized his black hair and tried to hide his face behind it.
Knowing that Wen Zhuo was prone to overthinking, Shen Zheng caught his wrist and stopped him from covering his face with his hair. “I truly only wanted to warm the bed for you. With our skin touching, the heat would pass more quickly, and you would sleep better.”
He paused, then changed tack, his tone turning teasing. “But since Teacher refused, I’ll respect that. Just don’t expect it to be so easy next time you want me to undo your undergarment myself.”
“When would I ever want such a thing?!” Wen Zhuo asked in astonishment.
Shen Zheng did not argue. He merely smiled, tucked the edge of the quilt more securely around him, and tightened his arm until Wen Zhuo was held firmly against his chest. “All right. Teacher is not allowed to fidget anymore. Go to sleep.”
Wen Zhuo deliberately squirmed and burrowed against him several times before finally settling down in satisfaction.
—
The next day, just before dawn, the bitter wind remained piercingly cold. The bells and drums of the fifth watch shrieked against the red walls and green tiles, making them moan.
Wen Zhuo tightened the collar of his outer robe and, stepping through the faint light of dawn over the thin frost before the steps, walked toward Huiji Gate.
He had not yet reached the palace entrance when Ge Wei hurried over. Pulling his felt hat low and keeping both hands tucked inside his sleeves, he leaned close to Wen Zhuo’s ear, using the brim to conceal his mouth and nose, and whispered, “The Old Ancestor asked me to tell you that regarding the imperial edict, there is no need to plead for the Fifth Prince.”
Once he had said this, Ge Wei lowered his head even further and hurried away, leaving Wen Zhuo standing there in a slight daze.
It seemed that Ge Wei was one of the informants he had planted, and that Liu Quan knew perfectly well about his efforts to assist Shen Zheng in the struggle for the throne.
But why was there no need to plead for him?
Could it be that after reading the memorial yesterday, the emperor had already forgiven Shen Zheng for the unauthorized killing?
“Director Wen, what are you standing here looking at? Aren’t you cold?” Luo Mingpu happened to be passing by. Seeing him standing still, he asked casually.
Recently, Luo Mingpu had forced Bao Side out and taken the position of Minister of the Board of Rites. He had also seized Prince Xian’s weakness, so he was in excellent spirits and eager to exchange a few words with everyone he met.
Wen Zhuo smiled faintly at him. “I’m going in now.”
The officials of the Court of State Ceremonies led the assembled officials into their places according to rank. Once the bright-yellow curtain was drawn shut, incense burners were lit inside the hall, gradually dispelling the cold.
A short while later, Emperor Shunyuan emerged tremblingly. Even with the lower-limb exoskeleton specially made by Mo Shu supporting him, his steps remained slow, stiff, and heavy.
The moment he appeared, his face darkened like a gray, overcast sky.
Wen Zhuo understood perfectly well that Emperor Shunyuan had no more than two years left to live, and every time one of his sons fell, it dealt him another fatal blow.
As an emperor, he knew that the officials had long since chosen their sides and placed their bets on the next ruler, attacking one another as they did so. Yet he was powerless to stop them.
It seemed the only way to resolve this chaos was to establish a Crown Prince as soon as possible. But if a young Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would inevitably find himself sidelined.
“The Fifth Prince and Wen Zhuo have returned to the capital from the disaster-stricken prefecture, and the news they brought back has left me utterly shocked!” Emperor Shunyuan began, suppressing his thunderous fury.
All the officials fell to their knees in unison. “We are guilty, Your Majesty!”
“Get up, all of you, get up!” Emperor Shunyuan pointed at them and snarled, “All you can do is put on hypocritical displays. You have no idea what the world outside has become. What use is it to confess your guilt now?”
The officials hurriedly scrambled to their feet once more. Every one of them lowered their heads and eyes, wishing they could stuff their heads into their collars.
“Mianzhou Prefect Lou Changsui falsified the disaster reports, causing Mianzhou to suffer for half a year and leaving its people without enough to live on—until they were forced to sell their own children for food!” Emperor Shunyuan forced the entire sentence out in one breath, then immediately began coughing violently. Clearly, he had been enraged beyond endurance.
Liu Quan hurried forward to pat his back and ease his breathing, while palace attendants hastily brought over pear broth to clear his throat.
A chorus of theatrically shocked gasps rang through the hall. The officials began whispering among themselves, one after another condemning Lou Changsui’s crimes, as though they were hearing for the first time of a calamity that had never ceased to plague history.
“Lou Changsui also colluded with the local incense merchants, coercing the common people into surrendering their private farmland and reducing them to tenant farmers to grow incense trees for them!” Emperor Shunyuan finally caught his breath and continued his furious denunciation. The beads of his crown clattered together, casting dark shadows across his face. “To this day, the amount of private farmland in Mianzhou has shrunk to a horrifying degree! If Wen Wanshan had not implemented relief through labor and reclaimed the wastelands, then within half a year, the refugees of Mianzhou would have risen in rebellion!”
The hall fell utterly silent. Everyone knew that with the emperor this enraged, someone would be brought down today.
Suddenly, Emperor Shunyuan changed tack. His gaze seemed to conceal a blade as he asked in a low voice, “But do you know why Lou Changsui did such a thing?”
“This…” The officials exchanged glances, but no one dared answer.
“Bu Zhangyi, you tell me.” Emperor Shunyuan suddenly called his name.
Bu Zhangyi’s heart clenched. He hurriedly stepped forward and knelt. “I… do not know!”
“Why are you kneeling?” Emperor Shunyuan sneered. “If you don’t know, then Tang Guangzhi will answer!”
Tang Guangzhi was scared half to death. He scrambled out from among the assembled officials, drenched in cold sweat. “I do not know either!”
“You don’t know?” Emperor Shunyuan leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes. “Then shall we take a look at what Lou Changsui wrote in his confession?”
Bu Zhangyi and Tang Guangzhi froze. Their nightmare had come true. Lou Changsui had indeed pinned everything on them!
Bu Zhangyi was still able to keep his composure. He hurriedly defended himself, “Your Majesty, Lou Changsui knows that his crimes are grave. A cornered dog will jump over the wall, and he is merely twisting words to excuse himself. His accusations cannot be taken at face value!”
Tang Guangzhi quickly echoed him. “I have served as an official for years, working diligently and conscientiously. I have nothing to be ashamed of before Your Majesty or the Great Qian! I am separated from Mianzhou by a thousand li and have never had any dealings with Lou Changsui. It is truly incomprehensible that he would accuse me!”
Then he suddenly raised his eyes and glared furiously at the calm Wen Zhuo. “Director Wen, on the other hand, once served with Lou Changsui in Bozhou, and the two of them were very close! Perhaps he hinted to Lou Changsui that he should drag important court officials into this mess to give him a way out and muddy the waters!”
Bu Zhangyi’s vision went dark. He wished he could turn around and stuff a hand over Tang Guangzhi’s mouth.
This was bad!
Wen Zhuo was a favored minister before the emperor. Those two baseless accusations could not possibly shake his position. Tang Guangzhi had lost his head in desperation and was only bringing disaster upon himself!
Sure enough, when Wen Zhuo was suddenly dragged into the fray, he not only showed no anxiety or panic, but merely swept Tang Guangzhi a glance with extreme calm. He could not even be bothered to defend himself.
Emperor Shunyuan’s expression grew increasingly grim. Pointing at Tang Guangzhi, he thundered, “Wen Wanshan eradicated Mianzhou’s long-standing abuses and placed righteousness above family, using the wealth his family had accumulated over the years to provide disaster relief. He even personally requested an imperial decree to have his own father and brothers executed by slicing! How dare you slander a man so selfless and impartial!”
“I… I only…” Tang Guangzhi’s heart pounded violently. He knew at once that things were going badly.
In his panic, he had actually forgotten Wen Zhuo’s act of placing righteousness above family. At this moment, Emperor Shunyuan felt nothing but gratitude toward Wen Zhuo—how could he possibly believe such malicious accusations?
Luo Mingpu had finally been waiting for this moment. With a cold laugh, he stepped forward and bowed. “Lord Tang need not worry. The Ministry of Justice will rigorously examine Lou Changsui’s confession and thoroughly interrogate the Mianzhou prefectural granary commissioner he implicated. We will not allow any secret to remain buried, nor will we let a single person of ill intent escape!”
“You!” Tang Guangzhi glared at him furiously.
Luo Mingpu turned to Emperor Shunyuan. “Your Majesty, I interrogated the Mianzhou prefectural granary commissioner throughout the night yesterday, and I have already uncovered some leads. I intended to present his confession to Your Majesty today.”
Bu Zhangyi was completely flustered. He had not expected Luo Mingpu to move so quickly. Wen Zhuo had only brought the man back yesterday, yet today Luo Mingpu already had a signed confession in hand!
Even less had he expected the prefectural granary commissioner to break within a single day and reveal everything Luo Mingpu wanted to know!
“An urgent interrogation necessarily involves torture, and torture necessarily leads to wrongful convictions!” Bu Zhangyi retorted sharply. “Lord Luo, in your eagerness to claim credit, what exactly were you hoping to obtain from that confession?!”
“Lord Bu certainly knows how to prepare for a storm.” Luo Mingpu sneered. “I have not even mentioned the contents of the confession, yet you are already rushing to defend yourself. Could it be that you feel guilty?”
“The prefectural granary commissioner falls under the Ministry of Revenue!” Bu Zhangyi forced himself to remain calm. “If Lord Luo extracted a confession through torture and made him frame me, then even though I have always kept my hands clean, I could still end up covered in filth!”
“So Lord Bu knows perfectly well that he will identify you!” Luo Mingpu pressed, step by step.
Emperor Shunyuan said nothing. He merely watched them trade barbs with a cold gaze.
Bu Zhangyi knew that if this continued, he would certainly lose. Suddenly, he changed the subject and raised his voice. “Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince’s return to the capital is a matter of national importance, and people throughout the capital have been discussing it. To be frank, even I have heard some rumors. Some loose-tongued people claim that while in Liangping County, the Fifth Prince ignored the protests of an imperial lady and insisted on executing the common people. The story has spread like wildfire among the constables and soldiers, and many are deeply dissatisfied. They all say that the Fifth Prince disregarded the laws of Great Qian, slaughtered innocents, and acted with brutality! In my view, where there is one such incident, there may be a second. This was no isolated occurrence. If the procedure was not sufficient to convince the people, then Lou Changsui’s confession should likewise be treated with caution!”
Seeing that Bu Zhangyi had opened the subject, Prince Xian knew the time was right. He hurried forward, putting on an expression of astonished confusion as he helped the two men shift the target of the discussion.
“Such a thing actually happened? Fifth Brother, why were you in such a hurry? Did you not know that a titled woman may petition for a review by the Three Judicial Offices?”
He turned and bowed to Emperor Shunyuan. “Father, although the law states that an imperial prince who commits a crime is to be punished just like a commoner, Fifth Brother’s actions have indeed had a negative influence among the soldiers. Still, for the sake of his arduous efforts in providing disaster relief this time, I beg Father to show him leniency!”
What a fine move—retreating in order to advance. A trace of mockery flashed through Shen Zheng’s eyes.
Fortunately, he had already explained the circumstances of the incident to Emperor Shunyuan in his memorial and had prepared himself to bear responsibility.
He stepped out of the ranks and was just about to describe what had happened—
When Emperor Shunyuan suddenly slammed his palm onto the desk. The force was so great that the inkstone on it shifted half an inch.
“How dare you drag your younger brother into this as well!”
“Father?” Prince Xian stared at him in utter bewilderment.
Emperor Shunyuan fixed him with a sinister gaze, his voice sounding as though it had been ground against the edge of a blade. “Do you think I don’t know what you have been doing behind my back?”
Those words left Prince Xian completely stunned.
He had never imagined that Emperor Shunyuan would favor Shen Zheng to such an extent.
During the case involving Liu Kangren, the emperor had clearly and emphatically declared before Duke Liu that regardless of the reason, anyone who violated the laws of Great Qian would be beyond forgiveness.
Even Shen Zheng could not help faintly knitting his brows. In his impression, Emperor Shunyuan had always treated his sons with nothing but coldness and exploitation. There was pitifully little fatherly affection between them.
The tips of Wen Zhuo’s lashes trembled slightly. Without drawing attention to himself, he glanced toward Liu Quan, who stood beside Emperor Shunyuan.
Liu Quan seemed to sense his gaze. Their eyes met briefly in midair before Liu Quan lowered his own again, steady and composed, as though the storm raging through the hall had nothing to do with him.
Prince Xian could not recover his wits. He muttered, “Father, but the imperial edict—”
“Impudent! Shut your mouth!” Emperor Shunyuan shouted, cutting him off. He was practically being unreasonable.
Prince Xian was utterly dumbfounded. His mouth hung open, his body rigid, like a stone statue struck still by a spell.
The kneeling Bu Zhangyi and Tang Guangzhi, along with Gong Zhiyuan and Luo Mingpu, who had been waiting nearby to take advantage of their downfall, were all dumbfounded. Not one of them could make head or tail of what was happening.
But the ministers were all shrewd men. Watching this scene unfold, they independently arrived at the same subtle conclusion.
It was becoming perfectly clear whose side the emperor’s heart favored.
Even if Emperor Shunyuan had decided not to punish Shen Zheng out of consideration for his accomplishments in disaster relief, he should not have forbidden anyone from mentioning the matter—not even allowed a single word of censure—as though Shen Zheng had done nothing wrong from beginning to end.
In this world, there was only one person who could never be in the wrong: the emperor.
The emperor of today, and the emperor of tomorrow.
Shen Chen, who had been waiting to reap the benefits as a third party and possessed memories from two lifetimes, could not help knitting his brows tightly. Even the two sweet dimples at the corners of his lips had lost their brightness.
He immediately looked toward Xie Langyang, his eyes full of astonishment, hoping to exchange a few words and find out what was going on.
Yet Xie Langyang merely stared blankly at Wen Zhuo, weariness and bewilderment impossible to conceal in his eyes.
He had no idea what scheme Wen Zhuo had set in motion ahead of time this time, or how it had made the usually cold-hearted Emperor Shunyuan protect Shen Zheng so irrationally—just as he had at the victory banquet.
His chest felt unbearably stifled. He wished he could vanish on the spot, rush up to Wen Zhuo, and demand to know exactly how he had managed it!
Only Wen Zhuo remained composed on the surface, though his heart sank heavily.
Everyone in the hall was surprised by Emperor Shunyuan’s indulgence toward Shen Zheng, yet they had all overlooked the thing that should have surprised them most: Lin Yingniang’s imperial decree.
What Emperor Shunyuan was truly angry about was not that they had dragged Shen Zheng into the matter. He was angry that someone had openly mentioned the words “imperial decree” in the imperial hall.
