White Dragon, White Tiger

Chancellor's Residence.

The moment Xiao Hanye entered, Shen Tingjue enthusiastically pulled him over to the table, sat him down, and stuffed a bowl of soup into his hands.

Xiao Hanye eyed it warily. "What is this?"

"Deer antler soup." Shen Tingjue grinned. "It has more than a dozen highly nourishing medicinal ingredients in it. Drink it, and it'll boost your virility."

Xiao Hanye's hand trembled, and he nearly spilled the soup.

Deer antler was already an extremely potent tonic, and with so many supplements added in, Xiao Hanye felt that merely catching its scent was enough to make blood gush from his nose and mouth.

Xiao Hanye's face was full of resistance. "I have no need for this sort of thing."

"Silly child, if it's good stuff, you should drink it. Whether you need it has nothing to do with it." The Eldest Princess picked up the bowl Xiao Hanye had pushed away and thrust it right back at him. "Xiao Jue specially saved this for you. You mustn't disappoint his heartfelt intentions."

Shen Tingjue nodded. "Mm-hm, mm-hm."

With scorching gazes on either side of him, neither willing to let the matter rest, Xiao Hanye—who had never in his life encountered such goodwill—did not know how to refuse.

Such warm hospitality was hard to decline.

With no other choice, His Highness the Crown Prince held the deer antler soup and forced it down mouthful by mouthful. Before long, he felt his blood and qi surging upward, and something warm began flowing from his nose.

Shen Tingjue froze, then cried out, "Your Highness, you have a nosebleed! Someone, come quick! His Highness has a nosebleed!"

Xiao Hanye: "..."

You little bastard.

What a blessing you are to me!

Did you have to shout that loudly?

Were you trying to let everyone know that I got a nosebleed after drinking one bowl of deer antler soup?

The Eldest Princess hurriedly had the maidservants bring hot water and towels. Wu Dequan wrung out a towel and handed it to Xiao Hanye. Watching His Highness tilt his head back and wipe away the blood, his eyes were full of bleak sorrow. Though he wished to help, he lacked the power to do so, and could only silently say in his heart, Your Highness, you have suffered.

After nightfall, the taverns were bustling with voices. Once fine wine slid down their throats, tongues began wagging like floodgates thrown open. They talked of heaven and earth, about anything and everything—proper matters and improper ones alike.

Now, the incident of the Imperial Academy Hall students being frightened unconscious by the Chancellor's Residence's young master swiftly became a topic after drink had warmed their ears and reddened their faces, as amusing as peanuts made for drinking.

Wen Jingkong tossed all his official duties to his deputy general, returned home to remove his armor, and had his wife choose a more elegant robe for him. He even deliberately hung a sachet and jade pendant from himself, doing his utmost to make himself refined as polished jade, terrified that the murderous aura he had acquired through years of military service might frighten Young Master Shen unconscious.

Once he had tidied himself up, he set out for the Golden Jade Pavilion, which the Crown Prince had directly rented for ten years.

The Golden Jade Pavilion of Drunken Immortal Tower had been specially prepared for distinguished guests. It had been arranged with painstaking care, exquisite and elegant, complete with tea sets, screens, and incense. Open the windows, and one could even see green mountains and clear waters.

Quiet and serene, it was an excellent place for meeting friends and discussing affairs.

The amnesiac leader of the secret guards was lively and clever, often leaving people speechless with his retorts. Wen Jingkong developed immense respect for him, pulled him into drinking and merry conversation, and called him brother. They chatted all the way from the southern skies to the northern lands, and their topics grew increasingly improper.

Expressionless, Xiao Hanye watched the two drunkards tease one another about other people's romantic affairs. He felt his ears buzzing, pressed at his brow, summoned the secret guards, and knocked one unconscious with a chop of his hand before having him sent home.

The secret guards knocked General Wen unconscious cleanly and decisively, without a shred of hesitation. But when faced with their own leader, they did not dare strike. Caught between advance and retreat, they looked to the Crown Prince.

Should they really knock him out?

If that got him killed, whose fault would it be?

Xiao Hanye: "..."

Shen Tingjue had an atrocious tolerance for alcohol. After taking less than half a cup, his eyes were already bleary with drunkenness. Seeing that his other drinking companion had collapsed onto the table without making another sound, he had no idea whether the man was dead or alive.

Young Master Shen immediately found things dull. At once, he shifted his target to Xiao Hanye, staggered over, and planted his backside on the Crown Prince's lap as solidly as a mountain. Then he bit Xiao Hanye's cheek, muttered a few incoherent words, tugged the other man's sleeve over himself as a blanket, and fell asleep without a care in the world.

The secret guards glanced at the tooth marks on the Crown Prince's face and waited anxiously for a moment. Seeing that the Crown Prince had no intention of ordering them to throw the man out the window, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew.

When the Chancellor returned home and learned that Shen Tingjue had been taken to Drunken Immortal Tower by the Crown Prince, he was deeply worried and sent family guards to keep watch. When the hour of the boar arrived and the boy had yet to return, he immediately charged off to Drunken Immortal Tower in person.

Xiao Hanye had only just spent considerable effort prying the person in his arms away from himself. He was pondering whether to give him a knock on the head—perhaps it could prove that great strength worked miracles, invigorating the blood, dispersing stasis, and restoring his memories.

Just as the Crown Prince was about to put the idea into action, the Chancellor stormed in. Left with no choice, Xiao Hanye could only temporarily abandon his wicked thoughts and wave for the Chancellor to take the man away at once.

The next day, Shen Tingjue learned that the Crown Prince had gone to Mount Li to train troops without leaving behind a single word. So angry that he downed another bowl of deer antler soup, he went to the East Palace and strutted around it in inspection. In the end, he ordered two snow wolves seized and brought back to the residence, declaring that he would kill them and stew them into soup.

The secret guards all sat upon the rooftops and gazed at the sky, pretending they knew nothing. They were exceedingly tactful.

Wu Dequan was insignificant and outnumbered, and could only watch helplessly as the other party took away the Crown Prince's beloved pets, willing but powerless.

Not only that, under Shen Tingjue's coercion, the East Palace's chief steward endured humiliation and wrote a letter to the Crown Prince, telling him to hurry back to the capital and ransom his wolves.

Only after arranging everything did Shen Tingjue leave in satisfaction. Halfway out, he turned back to the East Palace, said nothing, and carried off the Crown Prince's pillow. He also took the Shadowchaser Sword hanging on the wall.

Wu Dequan beat his chest and stamped his feet, his face weathered with despair. Raising his eyes toward Mount Li, he silently murmured, Your Highness, this old servant truly did his utmost.

The two snow wolves were large, with sleek, glossy fur that felt wonderful to the touch. Catching a familiar scent on Shen Tingjue, they immediately tucked away their fangs and claws, rolled onto the ground with their bellies exposed, and tumbled about adorably.

Steward Feng fed them some dried meat. "Does Young Master know what these two big fellows are called?"

Shen Tingjue said, "White Dragon and White Tiger."

Steward Feng: "..."

One dragon and one tiger. Not bad.

His Highness the Crown Prince certainly knew how to name things.

Shen Tingjue's studies became a case of fishing for three days and drying nets for two. He gradually gave up altogether, wrapped himself in his blankets, refused to get out of bed, and slept until the sun was high in the sky.

When he did not attend lessons, everyone in the Imperial Academy Hall rejoiced in secret. They wished he would stay away every day, obediently remain at home as an idle wealthy gentleman, and leave everyone in peace.

Whenever Shen Tingjue had nothing to do, he would wander into the palace to freeload food and drink. Before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, he frantically farmed goodwill, telling them the strange tales and anecdotes Steward Feng had heard from all over. Coupled with his quick wit and sweet tongue, he repeatedly coaxed the two into blooming with joy. Every time he entered the palace, he brought back many precious treasures, making others green with envy.

That night, the Chenghuan Emperor visited Yanfu Palace for the first time in half a month. Consort Shu cast off her resentful, sorrowful look and happily welcomed him. Her alluring eyes were like trailing silk, and just as she was melting bonelessly into the Chenghuan Emperor's embrace, she heard an attendant announce from outside:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Young Master Shen says he wishes to drink and make merry with you. He is currently sitting on the roof of the Hall of Mental Cultivation waiting for you."

Consort Shu's smile vanished instantly. "..."

Was he sick in the head?

In the middle of the night, instead of sleeping, he had come to find the Emperor for drinks and merry conversation?

Though the Chenghuan Emperor had his romantic affair interrupted for no reason, he was not angered. He pushed away the boneless Consort Shu and put on his outer robe. "I will come another day."

"!!!"

Consort Shu simply could not believe it. Her eyes widened as she stared at the Emperor's graceful departing back. Her chest heaved violently, and she nearly ground a mouthful of teeth to pieces. She pounded the bed in fury, already able to guess that tomorrow she would become the laughingstock of the entire capital.