Ling Qiyan was in a daze until Wen Ying undid his belt, pulled down his underpants, and lowered his head to take his soft, delicate member into his mouth. Only then, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, did he nearly jump up.

Wen Ying held him down, not letting him move, and just knelt before him, diligently servicing him.

Wen Ying's oral skills weren't very good; he almost bit Ling Qiyan several times. He clumsily used his mouth to pleasure him, stroke by stroke, before licking him with his tongue.

Ling Qiyan finally came to his senses. His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the top of Wen Ying's head. Looking further down, he could only see the firm lines of Wen Ying's profile, bobbing up and down from the motion of taking him in his mouth.

Ling Qiyan's mind went blank for a moment, and he immediately flushed beet red. The part of him that was always limp was actually in Wen Ying's mouth, slowly reacting, hardening and swelling bit by bit.

He subconsciously raised a hand to cover his mouth and gripped Wen Ying's hair, unsure if he wanted to push him away or press him down for more.

Even so, intermittent, sweet moans still escaped uncontrollably from the corner of Ling Qiyan's lips.

Ling Qiyan felt incredible, a pleasure he had never experienced before. So this was the taste of desire. It was as if fireworks were constantly exploding in his mind, leaving him dazed and as if he were floating on clouds.

For the first time in his life, that place ached with swelling to a nearly unbearable degree. Ling Qiyan forcefully pulled Wen Ying's hair, no longer satisfied with the pace of his ministrations. He arched his body, actively pushing himself into Wen Ying's mouth, almost to the back of his throat.

Ling Qiyan didn't last long. With a final explosion of fireworks in his mind, he came for the first time in Wen Ying's mouth.

After the sudden release, Ling Qiyan's body fell back, collapsing limply onto the couch.

In the quiet room, for a time, there was only the sound of Ling Qiyan's ragged, low pants.

After a long moment, he finally recovered. His eyes slowly moved, looking toward Wen Ying.

Wen Ying was still kneeling on the floor. There was a smear of white fluid at the corner of his mouth. Paired with his incomparably handsome face, the sight was both debauched and stunningly beautiful. Just looking at him, Ling Qiyan felt the part of him that had just found release begin to stir again.

"Poor scholar, this prince..." Ling Qiyan's voice was soft, laced with lust, as he trailed off hesitantly.

A fleeting shadow passed through Wen Ying's eyes, but his face remained calm and composed. He swallowed everything Ling Qiyan had released, then placed his hand over Ling Qiyan's member and continued to pleasure him.

The only response he received was Ling Qiyan's increasingly sweet and alluring moans.

Ling Qiyan lay on the couch in a daze, unable to utter a single word. His eyes were hazy with tears, the corners red, and he lay perfectly still.

Wen Ying picked up the long-cold teacup and took a large gulp to wash away the salty taste in his mouth. He then rose, walked to the door, opened it a crack, and signaled to the servant waiting outside, "Bring a basin of hot water."

Jiang Lin looked terrified, his eyes wide as he stared at Wen Ying, as if he thought Wen Ying had done something to His Highness.

Wen Ying ignored him. After giving the order, he shut the door.

After the hot water arrived, Wen Ying helped Ling Qiyan clean up and tidy his clothes. After washing his own hands, he said softly to Ling Qiyan, "It's very late, Your Highness should rest now," and then withdrew.

Only after the footsteps faded away did Ling Qiyan snap back to his senses and sit up abruptly. The expressions shifting across his face were quite a sight. Jiang Lin cautiously shuffled over, calling out, "Your Highness..."

Ling Qiyan took a deep breath to calm himself. "Forget it. Attend to my bath."

Wen Ying slid his entire body into the bathtub, letting the hot water cover his head. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with the image of Ling Qiyan's face, flushed and overflowing with lust, his eyes glistening like water on a peach blossom.

He stood up abruptly, stepped out of the tub, and pulled on the inner robe draped over the screen. His expression had already returned to normal. Walking to the table, he downed three consecutive cups of cold water, suppressing the wicked fire in his body and finally washing away the last of the taste in his mouth.

Early the next morning, Wen Ying went to pay his respects to Ling Qiyan as usual.

Ling Qiyan was having his morning meal and languidly gestured for him to sit.

Wen Ying calmly sat down and had some food with Ling Qiyan. Afterward, he stood to take his leave, saying he needed to return to his studies, but Ling Qiyan wouldn't allow it. Sipping his tea, he lifted his eyes and said, "Trying to eat and run?"

The words seemed to carry an unspeakable implication. Wen Ying kept his mouth shut and stood to the side, waiting for Ling Qiyan's verdict.

Ling Qiyan cleared his throat, set down his teacup, and said, "Last night, you served me well, but..."

Wen Ying listened quietly.

Ling Qiyan raised his eyes, looking at him with a ghost of a smile. "You don't think that was enough, do you? This prince didn't permit you to leave, so why did you run off on your own afterward?"

Wen Ying impassively retorted, "Your Highness already came twice. Can you even get it up again?"

Ling Qiyan almost threw the teacup in his hand at him. "Heh."

"Let's save it for next time," Wen Ying conceded, a rare occurrence. He then added in a low voice, "Your Highness, overindulgence harms the body."

Ling Qiyan felt frustrated. This poor scholar truly had a knack for getting the better of him with just a few words. But he had just had his first taste of pleasure and was still infatuated with the boy, unable to bring himself to punish him.

Even the thought from yesterday of driving him away had long been cast to the back of his mind.

Slowly finishing the half-cup of tea in his hand, Ling Qiyan set down the cup and asked, "Speak. You couldn't have suddenly seen the light last night. What are you after this time?"

Wen Ying knelt and lowered his head.

Ling Qiyan curled his lip. "If you want this prince to help you kill the Heir of Duke Wei, then you'd best give up that idea right now. Although I can't stand that brat either, he is my cousin, after all. It's not worth my while to kill him, nor do I have the ability to do so."

"This student only wishes to seek justice," Wen Ying's voice was low and hoarse.

"Seek justice?" Ling Qiyan sneered. "Are you stupid or just naive? Here in Shangjing City, power and status are the only law and justice. You can only blame yourself and your fellow townsman for your low births. What justice do you hope to get? Do you think exposing what Shen Xingyao and his friends did will be enough to punish them? Do you have any proof? At most, they'll just become a laughingstock for a while, gossiped about behind their backs. Will that have any real effect on them? After some time, when the scandal dies down, they'll go right back to their carousing, continuing to harm people. And what will you be able to do about it?"

Wen Ying clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

It wasn't that he didn't understand. That was why he had found an opportunity that night to kill Liu Qingxi directly. But as for the others, it would be difficult to find another such perfect opportunity. Seeking justice openly was simply impossible.

Seeing Wen Ying's dark expression, Ling Qiyan grabbed his chin and pinched it lightly. "Are you thinking? 'If this prince truly wanted to help, it wouldn't be impossible to find evidence of them raping and murdering someone, would it? As long as this prince insists on pursuing the matter, it wouldn't be impossible to see them punished?'"

Indeed, he was the Emperor's eldest legitimate son, a prince. If he truly put his mind to investigating this matter, he could very likely uncover the truth. But he was unwilling. Why should he make enemies of several prominent families for the sake of a male favorite? Even though he and the Shen Family couldn't stand each other, he had no intention of becoming their sworn enemy.

Wen Ying didn't reply, just stared intently at Ling Qiyan.

In the end, Ling Qiyan couldn't stand being stared at so intensely by the beauty. He averted his gaze and changed his tune. "Fine. To deal with them, we don't have to confront them head-on. There are plenty of dirty tricks we can use. They like frequenting brothels, don't they? Then we'll just let them take a fall in the area they're most passionate about. You just wait and see. This prince will give you an explanation."

Wen Ying said no more. He knelt and solemnly kowtowed to Ling Qiyan. For the first time, Ling Qiyan detected a hint of reverence in his demeanor.

Seeing this, Ling Qiyan actually felt a bit displeased. "Is that Zhao Xi really worth you going this far? Is it truly just to repay your teacher's kindness? Don't tell me it's because you and that classmate of yours were having some secret affair?"

It was no wonder he thought that way. Although he had never met the one named Zhao Xi, for him to have caught the eye of that brat Shen Xingyao, his looks surely couldn't be bad.

"No," Wen Ying denied flatly. "This student had no such affair with him. We were merely good friends. But my friend died a tragic death, and he is the grandson of my honored teacher. This student cannot simply ignore it, or I would be too ashamed to face my teacher ever again."

"Alright, alright," Ling Qiyan interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "Stop explaining, this prince believes you. But you'd best watch yourself. As for what happened with Liu Qingxi, you'd better not do it again. This time, because it happened on my estate, the officials didn't dare to investigate too closely. You might not be so lucky next time."

"This student understands... I will never forget Your Highness's great kindness."

Flattered by his words, Ling Qiyan finally felt pleased. He crooked a finger. "Get up and have tea with me."

In the afternoon, the man sent to gather information returned to report to Ling Qiyan. He said that the maid who had been taken away yesterday had entered the Ministry of Punishments' office, where she was interrogated all night. She still insisted that aside from having relations with Liu Qingxi, she knew nothing else. It was estimated that the Ministry of Punishments would release her in a day or two.

Had it been anyone else, she might have been detained for several more days, perhaps even tortured into a false confession and made a scapegoat. But since Ling Qiyan had spoken, forbidding torture to extract a confession without evidence, they certainly couldn't hold her. She would definitely be sent back completely unharmed.

After listening languidly, Ling Qiyan instructed Jiang Lin, "Tell the estate's steward that when she is returned, she is to stay here. Put her in the back to do rough chores, and don't let her appear before me and offend my eyes again."

Jiang Lin hastily agreed.

Wen Ying knelt at his side, massaging Ling Qiyan's calves. The pressure was a bit too strong, and Ling Qiyan let out a soft hiss. "Gently."

Wen Ying eased the pressure of his hands and asked Ling Qiyan in a low voice, "Your Highness, will this matter bring trouble for Prince Yu's Manor?"

Ling Qiyan snorted. "Worried about bringing trouble to Prince Yu's Manor now? I was beginning to think I'd truly raised an ungrateful wretch."

Wen Ying frowned.

Ling Qiyan said dismissively, "What trouble could there be? The claim that the maid killed Liu Qingxi was nonsense from the start. A weak woman, killing him without a trace? How could it be that easy? Besides, his body wasn't even found on this estate. Perhaps he was killed by someone else after he left. What has it got to do with me?"

"That Vice Minister Liu..."

"He's just a third-rank official. You think he can afford to hold a grudge against this prince?"

Ling Qiyan was extremely dismissive. "Even if he truly suspected me, would he dare cause me trouble? My willingness to let those officials enter the estate for questioning was already an act of immense grace. If I hadn't been willing, they wouldn't have even gotten through the gate yesterday."

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Wen Ying. "You, on the other hand... When you become an official in the future, with that aloof and arrogant stinking attitude of yours, and with no backing, you'll surely be targeted. You should be more worried about yourself. This prince is willing to protect you, but if you're close to me, you surely won't find any favor with the Crown Prince's faction."

Wen Ying didn't respond. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "For how long can Your Highness protect this student?"

Ling Qiyan was at a loss for words. Wen Ying raised his eyes. "Perhaps before this student even enters officialdom, Your Highness will have already grown tired of me and cast me out. After a long time, who will even remember that I once belonged to Your Highness? When I enter the imperial court in the future, how far I can go will depend on my own fate alone."

Wen Ying's expression was so frank that Ling Qiyan suddenly felt a bit awkward. The boy wasn't wrong. Forget waiting until he entered officialdom; it was uncertain if his own fickle interest would even last through the new year. Why worry about his future? It was truly meddling.

Although, looking at this poor scholar made his heart itch with desire.

So, during the evening meal, Ling Qiyan once again coaxed Wen Ying into drinking several extra cups of wine. Hazy with intoxication, he clung to Wen Ying and refused to let go, demanding that he yield to him that very night.

Wen Ying remained unmoved, reminding him with a deadpan expression, "Your Highness, overindulgence truly does harm the body. You are still in your teens; you should take it easy."

As he spoke, Wen Ying was kneeling before the couch, removing Ling Qiyan's shoes and socks to wash his feet.

He deliberately rubbed the sensitive soles of his feet a few times and squeezed his plump toes. After hearing Ling Qiyan's sharp intake of breath, he was kicked in the chest by an enraged Ling Qiyan. "If you don't want to, then get lost."

Wen Ying looked up at him, his expression calm. All he could see was Ling Qiyan's incomparably gorgeous face under the lamplight. The humiliation and resentment that he had suppressed for days seemed to have mostly dissipated.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger. This student did not mean to displease you."

Wen Ying said in a low voice, taking Ling Qiyan's foot to dry it and giving it another two light squeezes. He then helped him change into his nightclothes. Ling Qiyan grumbled the whole time but didn't hit or curse him again.

Only after the spoiled prince had finally fallen asleep and the lamps were extinguished did Wen Ying take his leave and depart.

Ling Qiyan turned over in his sleep, thinking in a daze, 'Why did he run off again...'