It was you

Xiao Yu stared blankly at the letter, looking bewildered, and remained frozen for quite some time.

Qi Yunheng... what did he mean by what he wrote?

Kissing, cuddling, hugging...

He made it sound as though I'd done something shameful.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the Crown Prince on the bed...

Suddenly, something seemed to occur to him.

Could he mean me and the Crown Prince?

Xiao Yu fell silent.

The Crown Prince and I are both men. What kissing?

We'd merely been standing a little closer together.

And he'd twisted it into something so outrageous.

The only thing he could be sure of was that Qi Yunheng... had indeed come to the Jin Kingdom.

He suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it wasn't some other spy from Southern Zhao.

But for Qi Yunheng to know so much about his affairs...

Could he be nearby?

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Xiao Yu, as though he had thought of something.

Could that Yuchu be Qi Yunheng?

That must be it.

No wonder he didn't dare show his true face. After all, in the Jin Kingdom, he was a dead man.

And no wonder that, upon first meeting Yuchu, Xiao Yu had kept feeling as though they had known each other for years.

It turned out he was an old acquaintance.

When he recalled how Qi Yunheng had shot an arrow at him without the slightest hesitation, seemingly intent on taking his miserable life,

his teeth began to grind.

Very well.

I don't need this pen pal.

And here I thought we were friends, kindred spirits.

Who would have thought he'd secretly come to the Jin Kingdom? Never mind that he hadn't bothered to visit me.

The moment we met, he tried to kill me?

Did I owe him money or steal his wife?

How could he treat me so heartlessly?

"Mm."

Xiao Yu looked up.

As he watched the pale, suffering Crown Prince on the bed, a glint of resolve crossed his eyes.

It seemed he would have to find Qi Yunheng himself.

He turned to Fuxi, his gaze sharp,

and threatened, "Tell me where your master is staying, or I'll pluck every feather off you!"

Fuxi trembled in fright, shedding more than a dozen feathers.

But the bird refused to yield, turning away and silently closing its eyes.

"Very good. You've got some backbone."

Xiao Yu gave Qinggeng a meaningful look.

Qinggeng immediately brought over a brazier and placed it beneath Fuxi.

"On second thought, plucking feathers takes far too much effort."

Xiao Yu said to the bird, "I've changed my mind. Roasting you outright would be much simpler!"

With that, he flicked his fingers toward the brazier, and the flames shot up into the air.

"Aah-!"

Before long, all the feathers on Fuxi's head had burned away.

The bird immediately begged for mercy. "I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Xiao Yu scoffed. "You could have just told me in the first place. You had to go bald before you'd talk."

Fuxi: "..." Master, I did my best.

Having learned Qi Yunheng's whereabouts, Xiao Yu instructed Qinggeng, "Look after the Crown Prince. I'll be back before dawn."

Qinggeng said, "Understood, Master. Don't worry."

At that, Xiao Yu vanished in a flash.

A secluded Private Residence within the imperial palace.

This was where the Southern Zhao Hostage had once lived.

The fire six years earlier had left the already dilapidated residence in even worse ruins.

No one set foot here anymore.

Xiao Yu hadn't expected Qi Yunheng to return here.

It was safe to say he couldn't have many fond memories of the place.

Had he come back to torment himself?

Or had he come to take revenge on those who bullied him back then?

Xiao Yu's gaze shifted uneasily.

Surely I didn't offend him back then.

He looked up, stepped forward with his lantern, and pushed the door.

Bang-!

"Cough, cough!"

Xiao Yu choked on the dust that billowed up.

Looking at the door lying shattered on the ground, he wore a sheepish expression.

I swear, I really only gave it a gentle push. It truly wasn't my fault. This door was just too flimsy.

Xiao Yu stepped inside. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere.

It's so run-down and quiet here. Did Fuxi really tell me the truth? Would Qi Yunheng really be here?

I'm not afraid of ghosts, but the moonlight doesn't reach inside. It's pitch-black, with chilly drafts blowing through... enough to make anyone shiver.

Whoosh-!

Damn it! Who? Who was that? Who put out my lantern?

Indignation surged through Xiao Yu.

He was just about to take out his fire starter-

Thud!

Suddenly, some unidentified object pounced on him and knocked him to the floor.

Ow!

Xiao Yu reached out and pushed, trying to shove the obstacle off him, but it wouldn't budge.

He felt around, and a flash of delight crossed his eyes.

There was warmth.

It was a person.

"Mm."

Hearing a muffled grunt, he abruptly asked, "Qi Yunheng? Is that you?"

Although the man didn't answer, Xiao Yu felt the mask on his face.

He was Yuchu.

Which meant he was Qi Yunheng.

Xiao Yu told him, "Get up first. This place hasn't been cleaned in years. It's filthy!"

Qi Yunheng paused, then sullenly got up.

Xiao Yu brushed the dust off himself and asked, "Shall we talk outside?"

Qi Yunheng turned his head away. "No."

Xiao Yu: "..."

Not wanting to waste another word on him, Xiao Yu grabbed his arm and headed straight toward the moonlight.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, its tone carrying a trace of complicated emotion and accusation. "Are you this forward with everyone?"

Xiao Yu's foot slipped, and his composure cracked.

He really wanted to crack open that head and see what was inside.

Forward?

We're both men. What's wrong with grabbing his arm?

He's the one who refused to move.

With a hint of displeasure in his voice, he said, "How am I being forward?"

"If you aren't, why did you start touching and hugging me the moment we met, and then grab my arm?" Qi Yunheng listed his offenses.

The corner of Xiao Yu's mouth twitched.

He stopped and replied, "It was so dark inside... I couldn't see, all right? Could you stop making it sound so suggestive?"

Qi Yunheng's gaze flickered.

A faint blush quietly crept up his ears.

He huffed. "And who was it who went around saying he fell in love with me at first sight, pursued me repeatedly, couldn't win my love, and even wanted to-"

"Mm!"

Xiao Yu immediately stepped forward and covered his mouth, so mortified he wished he could burrow into the ground and escape.

What have I done?

If I'd known he would confront me in person, I never should have let my mouth run away with me back then...

This is too embarrassing!

He said sheepishly, "It was all a misunderstanding. Please, let's leave the past in the past."

"A misunderstanding?"

Qi Yunheng pulled his hand away and sneered. "Do you have any idea how much those rumors you spread damaged my reputation? Do you think you can brush it all aside by calling it a misunderstanding?"

Xiao Yu lowered his eyes and bowed his head in thought.

Back then, he had only dared say those things because he thought the Imperial Study held no one but himself, his Elder Imperial Brother, and a few others he trusted.

He hadn't expected someone with ulterior motives to overhear and spread them...

He knew all too well how frightening rumors could be.

This had indeed been his fault.

He admitted it.

He looked up at Qi Yunheng and asked, "Then what do you want?"

At his words, Qi Yunheng's eyes widened slightly.

His lips parted. "I want-"