Zhou Ye had always been good at socializing.
That talent became even more pronounced than usual when he was faced with a beauty.
He also admired Yun Shen's character to begin with, and the two drank and talked together. Before they knew it, they had been chatting from nightfall until nearly the third watch.
Slightly tipsy and feeling hot, Yun Shen tugged his robe loose.
He lifted the corners of his eyes to look at Zhou Ye's face in the candlelight.
"If things are truly as you say, General, then although the Sixth Prince is still young, he is indeed a talent who can be molded."
Zhou Ye had already told Yun Shen everything Wei Mingxiu had done.
Both men were good judges of character, so they naturally understood that, in terms of character, Wei Mingxiu was far more upright than Wei Chengye.
Moreover, he had no power backing him. After helping him ascend the throne, Zhou Ye would still be able to control him if he cast them aside once they had served their purpose.
"For now, he is merely a hidden dragon lying in the depths. Once the time is ripe, he will be able to display his abilities to the fullest. I have confidence in him."
Zhou Ye had drunk half a jar of wine, but his expression remained clear.
He smiled at Yun Shen and said, "Now it all depends on whether you are willing to help us, Young Master."
Yun Shen asked in return, "If I chose to refuse you, would you tell the emperor who I am, shut down my Jade Fragrance House, and have me, the son of a convicted official, hunted throughout the city?"
"No," Zhou Ye answered. "From this day on, I would simply come to your Jade Fragrance House every day and wait for you to see me, begging you to agree until you could no longer stand my pestering and agreed to work with me."
"..." Yun Shen had never expected such an answer.
He pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly and laughed. "I never imagined that you, the dignified young marshal of the northern frontier, would resort to such shameless behavior."
Without so much as a blush or a change in his breathing, Zhou Ye said, "I'll take that as a compliment too, Young Master."
"..."
Yun Shen was left speechless.
Yet he felt not the slightest bit annoyed.
Instead, he felt at ease for the first time.
Back then, his father had been beheaded, and the entire minister's residence had been confiscated.
The women had been made prostitutes, and the men exiled.
The entire clan had been reduced to the lowest social class.
Yun Shen had risked his life to escape from the exiles and had been taken in by the master of Chongming House, a jianghu faction, who taught him martial arts and how to survive. After growing up, he had devoted himself to clearing his father's name and freeing his clansmen from the lifelong stain of their convictions.
For fifteen long years, he had never mentioned his true identity to an outsider, terrified that if he were exposed, all would be lost.
Yet tonight, Zhou Ye had seen through his identity without showing him the slightest disrespect.
Even when proposing that they work together, he had made no actual threats.
Instead, he had talked and laughed with him like a friend.
To be honest, he rather liked the feeling.
At that thought, Yun Shen drained his cup and said to Zhou Ye, "Very well. For your sake, General, I'm willing to take this risk."
"But in return, I also need you to grant me one more request, General."
Naturally, Zhou Ye was delighted to see him willing to cooperate. "What request?" he asked.
Yun Shen merely looked at him with his slightly upturned eyes, a hint of affection in them, and smiled faintly. "I haven't decided what to ask yet. When I have, I'll tell you."
"For now, General, you need only tell me: yes or no?"
Zhou Ye answered without hesitation, "Of course."
"Excellent." Yun Shen filled both their cups again. "May our cooperation be a pleasant one, General."
Zhou Ye stayed at the Jade Fragrance House until the fourth watch. When he opened the door, he saw Zhou Da leaning against the doorframe, his eyes half closed. He was clearly exhausted.
Even so, the sound of the door opening made Zhou Da react quickly.
"General, why did you and Young Master Yun stay in there so long?"
Although Yun Shen had entered through the window, after the two men had talked things out, he had called Sister Cui to bring them more wine several times. So Zhou Da knew they were inside.
His expression was rather strange now, and he lowered his voice considerably. "You two couldn't have been..."
"Been what?" Zhou Ye asked. "Were you going to ask if we spent a night of passion together in there?"
"No, no, no..." Zhou Da said, but his strange, reddening expression betrayed what he really thought.
After all, although Great Wei's customs were relatively open, men being with men would still draw criticism.
Rather than not wanting Zhou Ye to have such preferences, he simply didn't want anyone to malign his general because of them.
"No need to deny it."
Making no attempt to hide it, Zhou Ye lightly waved his folding fan and swaggered toward the stairs under the gazes of the many guests.
Just as he reached the stairs, Yun Shen, his face flushed with wine and his thin robes half open, came to the doorway of the Moon-Gazing private room. Amid the guests' cries of surprise, he leaned lazily against the doorframe and smiled at Zhou Ye.
"General Zhou, whatever tune you wish to hear next time, let Sister Cui know in advance. I'll play the zither for you myself."
Zhou Ye looked back, his gaze tender.
"I'll remember your affection, Young Master Yun."
"Let us meet again another day."
At those words, the guests' expressions all changed.
Among them were plenty of wealthy young masters and sons of officials.
It was easy to imagine that, after Zhou Ye's little performance, the story of him and Yun Shen would spread throughout the capital in less than half a day, with plenty of embellishments.
And that was just what he wanted.
"General!" Zhou Da was dumbstruck.
He hurried after Zhou Ye and whispered, "What are you doing? If-if the madam finds out..."
"It's fine." As Zhou Ye strode out of the Jade Fragrance House, he said to Zhou Da, "I'll deal with my mother later."
"Come on, let's go home. If we're any later, we'll miss morning court."
"General, you haven't slept all night. Why not ask for leave today?"
"No need." Thinking of the young man whose eyes held only him, Zhou Ye curved his lips and said, "Someone at the palace is still waiting for me."
After a sleepless night and too much wine, Zhou Ye was feeling somewhat dizzy after all.
After morning court, he walked to the Imperial Academy and was just about to climb a tree to rest a little longer.
But he discovered that Wei Mingxiu was already waiting beneath the tree.
Zhou Ye saw that he was still wearing narrow-sleeved clothes, with a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. He must have just finished exercising.
Wei Mingxiu spotted him at once, immediately stopped what he was doing, and hurried over.
"Junior Preceptor!"
Zhou Ye's gaze softened. "Your Highness, have you just finished exercising?"
"Mm. I got up early, so I thought I'd come here and practice."
"Did you follow the training method I taught you?"
"...Yes."
Hearing his hesitation, Zhou Ye asked, "Then how many laps did you run?"
"...Ten."
Zhou Ye's tone turned stern. "Tell me the truth."
Wei Mingxiu's expression froze. He pressed his lips together, and only after a long while did he say, "Twenty."
"Rushing for quick results!" Zhou Ye suddenly touched Wei Mingxiu's ribs, making the young man immediately bend at the waist in pain.
"With so many hidden injuries, pushing yourself will only halve the effect of your training. Keep this up, and sooner or later you'll ruin your body!"
Wei Mingxiu's eyes reddened with pain, but he didn't cry out. He only tilted his head up to look at Zhou Ye and said, "Junior Preceptor, it was my fault for disobeying you. Please don't be angry."
Wei Mingxiu had only wanted to work harder.
That was why he had secretly done extra training.
But he hadn't expected Zhou Ye to be so angry.
"I'm not angry." Zhou Ye saw the caution in Wei Mingxiu's eyes, and his heart ached as though it had been stabbed with a blunt knife.
He sighed softly and said, "I just feel a little sorry for you, Your Highness."
With that, he took out a bottle of medicinal oil and a bottle of pills he had obtained from Yun Shen and placed them in the young man's hands.
"This bottle contains medicinal wine that promotes blood circulation and disperses bruises. This one contains pills that regulate qi and blood. Take one every day, along with some medicinal meals. Once you've restored your health, it won't be too late to train more."