This Kid Isn't Right

The once-quiet Yongqing Palace descended into instant chaos.

"You little beast! I'll kill you!"

"General Qin! Please, calm down!"

"Yanying! Control your temper!"

"Awoo! Father, she kicked my hip out of its socket!"

"You scoundrel! Apologize to the General and the Young Marquis at once."

The imperial palace in the dead of night was deafeningly noisy, until a light cough echoed from within the bedchamber.

The cough was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears.

It was the voice of Emperor Li Hong.

In an instant, everyone froze, bowing respectfully toward the main gate.

Everyone, that is, except for Shen Jin, the youngest son of the Chancellor.

Because his hip had been dislocated.

"My dear ministers, what brings you to visit in the dead of night?"

The voice from the bedchamber was warm and gentle, sounding as refreshing as a spring breeze.

He did not sound like an emperor wielding absolute power, but rather like a mild-mannered, elegant middle-aged scholar.

Chancellor Shen Kui bowed low, his hands clasped: "Your Majesty! My son failed in his duties, neglecting to station enough guards on the ship, which led to the Young Marquis of Zhennan being abducted by villains. I have brought my son here specifically to beg for your mercy."

"You're full of—"

Qin Yanying was furious, but in the presence of the Emperor, she swallowed the profanities she had learned in the army, gritting her teeth as she said: "Shen Kui! Don't think I don't know that your little beast here has caused plenty of trouble for my Qin Muye."

"You claim Muye was abducted because there weren't enough guards, but I heard that every room on the ship had a maid, and they checked every half-hour to ensure guests didn't choke on their own vomit while drunk."

"Yet Muye had been missing for a full three hours before you even noticed he was gone."

"And the moment you discovered his disappearance, the maid left a note claiming the Chancellor's estate had nothing to do with it, then committed suicide. How do you explain that?"

Shen Kui was left speechless: "..."

How could he explain it?

There were so many maids in the Chancellor's estate; he never expected that the one serving Qin Muye would be the very one who had been bought off.

What was most damning was that this maid was a servant raised within the estate; he couldn't even find a reason to explain how she had been compromised.

It was truly a case of mud landing in one's trousers...

Shen Jin couldn't help but interject: "If I really wanted to harm Qin Muye, why would he still be standing—"

"Slap!"

Shen Kui struck him across the face, his temples throbbing with rage: "You scoundrel! Shut your mouth!"

"Father!"

Shen Jin felt deeply aggrieved, but seeing the savage, beast-like glare of his old father, he couldn't help but shiver.

As the youngest son, with only an elder brother over a decade his senior, he had been pampered his entire life.

This was the first time he had ever seen his father fly into such a rage at him.

Could it be that even his all-powerful father couldn't smooth over this situation?

He began to feel afraid.

Li Hong smiled faintly, speaking at a leisurely pace: "Minister Shen, do you believe there is some hidden mystery behind this matter?"

Shen Kui bowed quickly: "Your Majesty! The suspicion against me has not yet been cleared, and I have no way to prove my innocence, so I should speak less. However, as this concerns my own honor and the harmony between the generals and the chancellors, I dare to speculate that there is an invisible hand in the capital stirring up trouble, intending to escalate the conflict between the Shen and Qin families..."

Qin Yanying's nose was practically crooked with rage: "Spare me! Do the Shen and Qin families need an outsider to escalate our conflict? Why don't you just go home and kill your whole family? Then there won't be any conflict between us at all!"

Li Hong's voice carried a hint of reproach: "Yanying!"

Qin Yanying immediately clamped her mouth shut. She had grown up trailing behind Li Hong and Qin Kaijiang; in her heart, this Emperor was no different from her own elder brother. Although the Emperor treated her like a younger sister, she still held him in great awe.

Only then did Li Hong offer a gentle smile: "Yanying, Minister Shen has already spoken. It is your turn now; do not be impatient."

Qin Yanying took a deep breath and poured out all the suspicions she had been harboring.

There was a lot to say.

But most of it was just rehashing old grievances.

In the end, she simply started cursing, berating Shen Jin for being a piece of trash who bullied her nephew and was lower than a pig or a dog.

Shen Jin was furious, but under his father's glare, he could only shut his mouth in humiliation.

After listening patiently, Li Hong spoke in a measured tone: "The Brocade Guard has already investigated everything you mentioned. All relevant individuals have been confined and can be interrogated further at any time. Do not be restless; I will certainly see that justice is served for you and Muye. In the meantime, I hope you can keep the bigger picture in mind."

Qin Yanying: "..."

It was always like this when speaking to the Emperor; he did everything with such unhurried grace that you couldn't find a single fault, and if you pushed any further, it would just make you look like you were being unreasonable.

She could only nod: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Hong smiled faintly and asked again, "Muye, you have been through a fright."

"Many thanks for Your Majesty's concern."

Qin Muye appeared flattered, acting like an obedient junior.

Li Hong sighed softly, "I intended to bring you back to the capital to recuperate, yet I did not expect that before your health could recover, you would be plunged into such a whirlpool. I feel ashamed in my heart!"

Qin Muye hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please do not say that. I am here in the capital; if others wish to harm me, I cannot hide from it. That Your Majesty is willing to back me is already more than enough satisfaction.

Besides, my uncle-in-law is excellent at investigating cases, and I have told him everything I can recall. With him on the job, the mastermind will be dragged out sooner or later."

"Hey, you..."

Qin Yanying felt a sense of frustration at his lack of ambition, never expecting her nephew to kneel so quickly.

She had at least been rebuffed by the Emperor.

This kid had surrendered before the Emperor even said anything?

Seeing this scene.

Shen Kui breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the Emperor was indeed formidable, pacifying this aunt and nephew in just a few words.

Although this good-for-nothing playboy of the Qin family had a somewhat twisted personality, he acted like a well-behaved baby in front of the Emperor.

Li Hong smiled with gratification, "It brings me great comfort that you think this way! Since that is the case, it is getting late..."

Qin Muye hurriedly said, "It is just that, Your Majesty, this junior has one more presumptuous request."

"Speak."

"This time, this junior narrowly escaped death, having been struck by villains and nearly suffering a mental collapse. Although I have recovered somewhat, many memories remain blurred, and I do not know when they will return.

As my uncle-in-law is the Commander of the Brocade Guard, he cannot possibly have only one case on his hands and may not be able to spare time at any moment. Therefore, this junior requests Your Majesty's permission to be able to give minor instructions to the Commander when I recall something."

"Oh?"

Li Hong smiled with an inscrutable expression, "You and Commander Chen are close; why must you ask Me?"

Qin Muye replied respectfully, "In the Great Gan, who does not know that he serves only Your Majesty with all his heart? The cases in his hands are all Your Majesty's cases. Without Your Majesty's promise, what ability would this junior have to command an elder?"

"That is true! Then I grant it!"

Li Hong warned in a gentle voice, "However, you must remember not to use a chicken feather as an arrow, affecting the normal operations of the Brocade Guard, nor should you deliberately frame others or force confessions through torture. Otherwise, I will rescind this oral decree."

"Yes!"

"The hour is late. Chen Sui, stay behind. The rest of you, withdraw!"

After bidding farewell, the group exited the bedchamber one after another.

From beginning to end, Li Hong never even showed his face.

Once outside the palace gates, everyone boarded their respective carriages.

Shen Kui glanced at Qin Muye's retreating back; he felt that something was off about this kid today.

Qin Yanying nagged the entire way, and even after boarding the carriage, she was still complaining to Qin Muye, "Why did you kneel so quickly, child? You are the victim. Based on my years of experience in making a scene, you had the most right to be unreasonable.

If you had cried and made a fuss, you could have at least had the other hip of that little beast from the Shen family dismantled, yet you just let him go like that? You really lost face for our Qin family!"

Qin Muye rubbed his head, "Aunt, I have my own arrangements."

"What arrangements could you possibly have?"

"Tell me, after we returned to the capital, what was the biggest problem we faced?"

"A lack of money!"

"Starting tomorrow, we won't be lacking anymore!"

"..."