Clingy

Shen Tingjue rose from the mat, brushed the pastry crumbs from himself for the two wolves to lick up, then circled behind the desk and leaned close to Xiao Hanye. "What crime did the Sang Family commit before?"

As he spoke, he pushed the desk forward a little.

Sensing something was wrong, Xiao Hanye hurriedly raised a hand to block him. "What are you trying to do?"

Shen Tingjue looked around. "There's no chair."

Not understanding what he meant, Wen Jingkong pointed at the chair beside them, utterly baffled. "Isn't there one right there?"

Shen Tingjue glanced at it. "That one doesn't count."

Wen Jingkong opened his mouth, only to hear Shen Tingjue swiftly add, "If I say it doesn't count, then it doesn't count!"

Wen Jingkong: "..."

Fine.

Whatever you say.

Shen Tingjue shoved aside Xiao Hanye's arm blocking him, planted his butt firmly on Xiao Hanye's lap, and wriggled into a comfortable position in his embrace.

"!!!"

The onlookers were all stunned, their faces plainly asking, Am I seeing this right? Am I seeing this right?

Xiao Hanye frowned tightly. Shen Tingjue had been unbearably clingy these past two days, and he found it difficult to handle.

Leaning against him, Shen Tingjue felt wonderfully warm. He had ten thousand reasons to sit on the Crown Prince's lap, but he did not feel like arguing reason right now. He raised his eyes and pleaded, "Your Highness is warm. Let me lean on you for a while, all right?"

Gentle words were the best remedy for cold-faced men who were soft-hearted beneath their stubbornness. Xiao Hanye kept a straight face and squeezed out a proud "Hmph" through his nose, then had an attendant bring over a gilded beast-shaped hand warmer. He shoved it into Shen Tingjue's arms and said harshly, "If you're cold, stay at home instead of coming out."

Holding the hand warmer, Shen Tingjue saw that Xiao Hanye had not chased him off his lap and was thoroughly satisfied. Blinking, he asked, "Oh. Then, Your Highness, tell me first what happened to the Zhan family."

Xiao Hanye did not particularly want to tell him about court affairs, but if he said nothing, he feared Shen Tingjue would pester him endlessly. So he said:

"Zhan Ru served at the Censorate and the Office of Merit Assessment, where his duties involved supervising the officials. A few years ago, Zizhou suffered a blizzard that froze many commoners to death. The Grand Secretariat sent him there to restore order and repair the drainage channels clogged by snow. He cut corners and embezzled the funds. When heavy spring rains came, the blocked channels caused the waters to surge, destroying streets and creating floods that killed many people. He was convicted, stripped of office, and imprisoned."

Yao Yinqing picked up the thread. "The Ministry of Justice handled his case at the time. By the end of the investigation, when the Three Judicial Offices held their joint trial, he was convicted of corruption, bribery, and murder for profit. When a wall falls, everyone pushes it. The Zhan family was cursed by censors and commoners alike, and the good name of that scholarly household was utterly ruined after that."

Wen Jingkong took a sip of tea and smacked his lips. "When an official gets into trouble, they investigate back and forth, and in the end it is always charges like these. Nothing unusual about it. There are officials at court pursuing power and wealth everywhere you look. If they truly investigated, I'm afraid not a single one would come out clean."

Cradling the slightly scorching hand warmer, Shen Tingjue sighed. "The official world really is dangerous..."

"It's good that you know." Xiao Hanye said, "So be a well-behaved idle nobleman."

Seeing that he was still insisting on this, Shen Tingjue's rebellious streak flared up. He drew out a displeased "Hmph." "I refuse. Other lovebirds share hardship and fortune alike. Do you dislike me, mmph—"

Xiao Hanye promptly covered his mouth.

Wen Jingkong perked up his ears. Having heard only half of it, he found it impossible to make sense of the matter and kept looking back and forth between the two.

Yao Yinqing picked up a stack of memorials. "Speaking of which, Chang'an's drainage channels ought to be repaired as well. But the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works have been locked in a dispute for more than half a month and still have not agreed on a plan. If a blizzard comes, they will likely become blocked, especially in the low-lying areas. If the plan is not issued soon, it will delay matters."

"Draft a memorial. I'll speak to Father Emperor about it later." With one hand over Shen Tingjue's mouth, Xiao Hanye curled the fingers of his other hand and lightly tapped the desk. He turned his gaze to Wen Jingkong and said:

"I'll issue you an order to supervise the work. Keep a close watch on the Ministry of Works' repairs to the drainage channels. Do not let another disaster like Zizhou happen. And that land at the Northern Plains Hunting Grounds—you've coveted it for a long time, haven't you? I'll have the Ministry of Revenue allocate funds to renovate it and transfer it to the Imperial Guard as a training ground."

Wen Jingkong had been about to complain that Xiao Hanye was stuffing more work onto him, but at the latter half of the statement, his eyes lit up. His resentment vanished at once, and he sprang to his feet, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"Really? Those bastards at the Ministry of Revenue all talk a good game, but they're crafty as ghosts. I asked for it several times before, and they always turned me down with the excuse that the Grand Secretariat had not approved it. But I know perfectly well they meant to reserve that land for the Nine Great Camps."

Xiao Hanye released his hand.

Shen Tingjue continued, "Do you dislike me, mmph—"

With others present, Xiao Hanye restrained his temper. Swift as lightning, he covered Shen Tingjue's mouth again and put on an expression of complete nonchalance as he said:

"With me handling this, they will approve it whether they want to or not. As for the Tiger Roar Army units temporarily incorporated into the Imperial Guard, reassignment orders will arrive in a few days. You needn't worry about them anymore. The fewer matters on your hands, the better. Then you'll have time to spend with your wife and child."

After years of toil, Wen Jingkong was receiving such considerate concern from his cousin for the first time. He was overwhelmed with gratitude and flattered beyond measure, but not so dazzled that he lost his head. Wary, he asked, "What bad scheme are you plotting?"

Xiao Hanye smiled without smiling. "Hm?"

Wen Jingkong had always feared him. After gathering all his courage to ask that single question, he did not dare say another word, lest Xiao Hanye change his mind again and leave him worse off.

The Crown Prince was still covering Young Marquis Shen's mouth. After finishing her business, Yao Yinqing clasped her hands in salute and tactfully took her leave. Seeing that Commander Wen still looked as though he had not had enough tea, she signaled to him with her eyes. When he failed to understand, she had no choice but to make up an excuse and trick him into leaving with her.

Xiao Hanye glanced at Wu Dequan. "Withdraw."

Wu Dequan cast Shen Tingjue a worried glance. After hesitating for a moment, he waved for the other attendants to leave with him.

As though he had finally had enough, Xiao Hanye abruptly removed his hand and vigorously rubbed the saliva-dampened palm clean against his robes.

Shen Tingjue was glared at fiercely, but he was not the least bit intimidated. He glared back. "Why wouldn't you let me say it? With so many people around, they could have judged who was right."

"Judge who is right?" Xiao Hanye sounded as though he had heard a joke. "I am the Crown Prince. What I say is right. I do not need them to judge it."

Shen Tingjue raised his brows and clicked his tongue over and over.

Xiao Hanye had a headache and began chasing him away. "If you have nothing to do, go back to your Chancellor's Residence."

Shen Tingjue wrapped his arms around his waist. "No. I want to sleep with you tonight."

The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, feeling that those words carried another meaning.

The little shadow guard now was like a fox, his tail constantly brushing against Xiao Hanye's legs, slyly and innocently testing the limits of his patience.

Mischief glimmered in Shen Tingjue's eyes as he frivolously scratched beneath the Crown Prince's chin.

Xiao Hanye pushed him. "Get down! My legs are precious, not chairs for you to sit on."

Shen Tingjue hummed and whined, burying his whole face in Xiao Hanye's embrace like an unweaned child.

Xiao Hanye tried hard to pry him off. "Move!"

His legs had gone numb.