A Complaint

Xiao Hanye leaned back in his chair. "Report."

Yuchi Sheng straightened his back, his expression turning serious as he cupped his fists. "The Dashing Cavalry Battalion reached the Southern Four Commanderies and immediately mustered troops to head into the mountains and suppress the bandits. They found no bandits, but got lost in a valley instead, only making their way out the following morning. After a day's delay, they set out again fully equipped. They supposedly even brought along a Daoist priest who could break formations and banish evil, but they were chased by a swarm of venomous bees until they tumbled down the mountain in utter disarray. They still have not even found the gates of the bandits' stronghold."

Xiao Hanye pondered for a moment. "The Southern Four Commanderies' troops are little more than an empty shell now; they are no threat. The Dashing Cavalry Battalion excels at mounted archery and can strike targets a hundred paces away with ease, but they have no experience fighting in the mountains. They are unfamiliar with Boundless Mountain and cannot command the southwestern garrison. As long as the bandits of Boundless Mountain refuse to face them head-on, the Dashing Cavalry Battalion can forget about succeeding in their campaign."

Yuchi Sheng rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Then if the Dashing Cavalry Battalion fails to get the job done, can the Black Tiger Camp be sent in?"

Xiao Hanye lifted his eyelids. "You really want to go?"

Scratching the back of his head, Yuchi Sheng chuckled. "This general has been taking it easy for too long. It has been ages since I got to swing my blade and kill enemies to my heart's content. My whole body feels off."

Wu Dequan brought over two cups of ginseng tea.

Holding his cup, Xiao Hanye lightly tapped its lid. "Want to kill enemies? Then I will transfer you to the Northern Frontier right now. How about it?"

"No, no, no. Going to the Northern Frontier means eating sand and snow." Yuchi Sheng drank the ginseng tea, smacked his lips, and savored it with lingering delight. Things from the East Palace really were superior. "Oh, right. The intelligence also says Xue Luanjin has suffered quite a few setbacks there. At first, he put on quite the official airs, but in the end, he had to bow and scrape with a smile."

Xiao Hanye had expected it. "The local commandery governors and the Dashing Cavalry Battalion belong to the same faction. Xue Luanjin is a mere civil official, not only their enemy but also someone sent to investigate them. With the Emperor so far away, they are the masters there. If Xue Luanjin fails to read the situation, he may lose his life there."

Yuchi Sheng frowned in concern. "The Southern Four Commanderies border the Twelve Trade Routes. If unrest continues there, trade and commerce will certainly be affected. If this keeps up, how can that be allowed?"

"The Southern Four Commanderies not only border the trade routes, but also Boundary Marker Pass," Xiao Hanye said. "Wouldn't chaos be even better? The greater the chaos, the more justified I will be when the time comes."

Yuchi Sheng froze, unable to understand.

He was good at leading troops into battle and charging through enemy lines, but he truly could not make sense of all the twists and schemes in officialdom.

Xiao Hanye set his teacup on the table, revealing a meaningful smile as he crooked a finger at him.

Yuchi Sheng's eyes lit up. He leaned closer, ready to listen attentively, only to be smacked on the forehead without warning. He rubbed his head and sucked in a breath.

Xiao Hanye snapped his fingers, and several hidden guards appeared alongside a Gyrfalcon.

Crossing one leg over the other, Xiao Hanye asked unhurriedly, "What was all that commotion outside just now?"

Dark Two pointed at Yuchi Sheng and accused him first. "Reporting to Your Highness, he was eavesdropping just now and even wanted to tear off the roof tiles. Fortunately, this subordinate noticed in time and kicked him off the roof."

The other hidden guards, serving as witnesses, nodded furiously. "That's right!"

Yuchi Sheng stared in utter disbelief.

No way?

He had only eavesdropped.

When had he ever tried to tear off roof tiles?

Even if they wanted him dead, there was no need to frame him like this!

Xiao Hanye teased the Gyrfalcon, smiling without quite smiling. "Hm?"

Yuchi Sheng feared that half-smiling expression most. He looked just like the bloodthirsty fiends the common people described. The moment their gazes met, Yuchi Sheng felt as though half his life had already been taken.

Yuchi Sheng did his best to straighten his tongue. "Nothing of the sort, Your Highness. He is talking nonsense, slandering me. Please see the truth!"

Xiao Hanye continued smiling.

Yuchi Sheng's legs went weak, and he confessed without being pressed. "This general only... only wanted to eavesdrop. But I was kicked down before I heard anything. Heaven is my witness, this general heard nothing at all!"

Xiao Hanye waved the Gyrfalcon away. His expression was gentle, not at all like that of a great fiend.

Yuchi Sheng held his head, dizzy and disoriented.

He wanted to play dead.

Because the hidden guards had accused him, Yuchi Sheng was punished by being made to stand beneath a plum tree, snow piling on one shoulder as he reflected on his wrongdoing. The hidden guards had been ordered to watch him, and they cracked sunflower seeds in great comfort.

His Highness the Crown Prince had gone to the Imperial Study. When Shen Tingjue woke, Xiao Hanye had yet to return. Shen Tingjue rolled around on the bed wrapped in his blankets, then unceremoniously ordered Wu Dequan to have the kitchen prepare him a bowl of snow bird's nest. When he left the Hall of Literary Brilliance, he spotted an unmoving wooden figure beneath the plum tree at a glance.

It was the commander of the Black Tiger Camp whom he had seen several times when he first came to the East Palace.

Shen Tingjue could not help clicking his tongue. "Why is he standing beneath a tree in this freezing weather, getting snowed on and blown by the wind? Is something wrong with his head?"

Yuchi Sheng roughly wiped his face, covered in wind and snow, then glared fiercely at him and shouted in a foul mood, "Your head is the one with something wrong!"

Who would stand beneath a tree in the wind after eating too much?

Was it not because the hidden guards under him had set him up?

Shen Tingjue narrowed his eyes. "You dare insult this marquis?"

Yuchi Sheng: "..."

Damn!

He had forgotten that Shen Tingjue was now a great noble he could not afford to offend.

Dark Two explained on behalf of his leader. "He wanted to disturb your good time with His Highness, so His Highness punished him."

Shen Tingjue raised his brows and laughed. "Serves you right."

Shen Tingjue was now dressed in fine clothes and fed rich food, his complexion rosy, his eyes clear, and his brows gently curved. He was like plum petals falling upon clean white snow in winter, as though not a speck of filth in this world had ever touched him.

Yuchi Sheng stared blankly for a moment, finally understanding why Shen Tingjue could be so doted upon.

Do not fear a seductress being seductive; fear a seductress pretending to be pure, deceiving people until they were dizzy and willing to bare their hearts.

Impressive.

Yuchi Sheng whistled at Shen Tingjue. "Hey, come over here. I have something to ask you."

Shen Tingjue stood beneath the corridor eaves with a hand warmer in his arms, White Dragon and White Tiger rubbing against his feet. "No. You want to trick me into keeping you company in the snow and wind. I am not stupid."

"..." Yuchi Sheng clicked his tongue. "I am not that kind of person. Come here. I really have something to ask you, just one thing."

Shen Tingjue remained unmoved. "Say it."

Yuchi Sheng looked around, his face troubled. "It is not convenient."

Shen Tingjue refused to move a step. "Then forget it."

Seeing Shen Tingjue turn to leave, Yuchi Sheng could no longer endure the curiosity gnawing at him and could only throw caution to the wind. "You and His Highness... you are not in the kind of relationship I am thinking of, are you?"

Shen Tingjue turned halfway back. "What kind?"

A group of Black Tiger Guards stood beneath the corridor as well. At that moment, they all began coughing violently in unison.

Yuchi Sheng did not know what hidden meaning lay behind it and paid them no mind. He kept looking at Shen Tingjue, scratching at his ears and cheeks. "It is inconvenient to explain in detail. You know, that kind."

Shen Tingjue tilted his head. "I do not know. If you do not say it plainly, how am I supposed to know?"

Yuchi Sheng stamped his foot, feeling Shen Tingjue was obviously doing it on purpose. He wanted even more desperately to get to the bottom of it. "Two unmarried men alone in a room—I heard unusual sounds. You and His Highness, were you... doing that?"

Shen Tingjue curled his lips, laughter in the corners of his eyes, but beneath that amiability was a trace of wicked mischief. Silently, he mouthed: His Highness is here.

Yuchi Sheng jolted and abruptly turned his head toward the entrance. In an instant, he felt as though his soul had scattered. He wished he could plunge headfirst into the snowdrifts and bury himself.

The Black Tiger Guards shrugged helplessly.

They had already done their best.