Upon returning to Prince Yu's Manor, Wen Ying still knelt before Ling Qiyan, once again begging for his forgiveness.

Ling Qiyan had already scolded and kicked him. Seeing that ridiculously handsome face of his again, more than half of Ling Qiyan's anger had already dissipated. Besides, this matter couldn't truly be blamed on Wen Ying; it was just that his face was too ostentatious, attracting coveted gazes.

Seeing that Ling Qiyan's expression had softened, Wen Ying asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, didn't you say you didn't want to become enemies with the Shen Family?"

"It was that dog Shen Xingyao who started trouble with this prince first," Ling Qiyan said irritably.

He didn't want to tear all pretenses with the Shen Family, but he couldn't tolerate that bastard Shen Xingyao pushing his luck. Even those lackeys dared to slander him with filthy language. What kind of things were they saying? ...What did they mean he was topped by Wen Ying?

At this thought, Ling Qiyan's brows furrowed. He glanced askance at Wen Ying, his gaze falling on Wen Ying's somewhat deep-set features, and a subtle feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

'Just a poor scholar like this, without power or influence, still wants to top him, a dignified prince and the Emperor's eldest legitimate son? The greatest absurdity under heaven!'

So he beckoned with his finger. Wen Ying understood and shifted forward a bit. Ling Qiyan raised his hand, wanting to slap him, but after lifting it, he thought better of it.

'Forget it, it's not like this kid would dare to harbor such insubordinate and filthy thoughts. Why blame him for it.'

Thinking of these sensual matters, Ling Qiyan's mind inevitably became active again. These past few days, he still hadn't managed to coax Wen Ying into bed. Every time he wanted it, Wen Ying would use either his mouth or his hand, leaving him without any strength. By the time he remembered they hadn't done the real thing, the kid had already run off. It was like this every single time, and the more Ling Qiyan thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

Wen Ying didn't know Ling Qiyan was thinking about these random things again. He suddenly asked, "Your Highness, does the Crown Prince usually use snuff?"

Ling Qiyan's mind, full of amorous fantasies, was interrupted. He was stunned for a moment. Meeting Wen Ying's gaze, a hint of suspicion couldn't help but arise. "Why are you asking this? If this prince remembers correctly, this is the second time you've asked me about snuff. What are you hiding from this prince now?"

After a moment of silence, Wen Ying took an extremely exquisite and delicate snuff bottle from his robes and handed it to Ling Qiyan.

Ling Qiyan took it and examined it closely. This snuff bottle was made of glazed glass, crystal clear and very beautiful. A blue peacock was painted on the body of the bottle, and it was also inlaid with sapphires.

He asked with some surprise, "This is...?"

"Has Your Highness seen this snuff bottle before?"

"I have. It was a tribute from the provinces. During the New Year festival, Imperial Father casually bestowed it upon the Crown Prince."

'It really is so,' Wen Ying thought. The faint scent he had previously smelled on the Crown Prince was the same as the scent of the snuff in this bottle. This snuff bottle truly belonged to the Crown Prince.

Wen Ying explained in a heavy voice, "This student found this snuff bottle while sorting through Zhao Xi's belongings. About four or five months ago, that Liu Qingxi tricked Zhao Xi into getting acquainted with a son of a powerful official from their group. That person was probably quite nice to Zhao Xi at first and even gave him this snuff bottle. Zhao Xi has a simple nature and took it seriously. On several occasions, this student saw him holding and caressing it alone in his hands, as if thinking of someone. This student asked him about it, but he just stammered and refused to say who gave it to him, only saying that the person was good to him and wouldn't deceive him."

Ling Qiyan raised an eyebrow. "Liu Qingxi gave your friend to the Crown Prince? Second Brother actually plays with men? How did this prince not know this before?"

As he spoke, his eyes darted and he became angry again. "So when you asked before if this prince used snuff, you were actually suspecting me?"

Wen Ying shut his mouth and said nothing.

Ling Qiyan kicked him again, truly fuming.

After Ling Qiyan's anger had passed, Wen Ying finally said, "This student doesn't believe that person was the Heir of Duke Wei. If it were the Heir of Duke Wei, Zhao Xi would never have developed feelings for him."

'That's true. That dog Shen Xingyao... although his looks were decent enough, his personality was extremely sleazy. Due to excessive indulgence at a young age, he looked as if he'd been completely hollowed out. One would have to be incredibly blind to take a fancy to him.'

Ling Qiyan deeply agreed. "The gentle, elegant, and warm appearance Second Brother puts on in front of others is enough to deceive a simple scholar like Zhao Xi. Besides, he's the Crown Prince. If he lowers himself a little to coax someone and gives them some nice things, someone is bound to take the bait. However, since Shen Xingyao and his group dared to lay hands on Zhao Xi, it must have been with Second Brother's tacit approval. It's very likely he got tired of the person and just threw him to Shen Xingyao and the others."

It wasn't as if there were no precedents for this, but in the past, they had always been women. This was the first time Ling Qiyan knew that bastard Ling Qiyu also played with young men, which was why he was a little surprised.

A vicious glint appeared in Wen Ying's eyes, but it vanished silently in an instant. Ling Qiyan's thoughts turned, and he reminded him, "Don't think about causing trouble for the Crown Prince anymore. If something happens to the Crown Prince, this prince really won't be able to save you. Let this matter end here. As for Shen Xingyao and his lot, they've been taught enough of a lesson."

But Wen Ying asked him, "Your Highness, do you truly have no ambition at all?"

Ling Qiyan was instantly amused. "What? Are you trying to incite this prince to fight for the succession?"

"You are the Emperor's eldest legitimate son. That position should have been yours."

By the tradition of appointing the eldest and the legitimate, Ling Qiyan met both criteria. He should have been the rightful Crown Prince. It was only because of the Emperor's favoritism that the one who entered the Eastern Palace was his second younger brother.

When the Emperor insisted on this back then, the resistance in the imperial court was not insignificant. Even to this day, there are still some stubborn old ministers who strictly abide by the ancestral rules, or those with ulterior motives, who think little of Ling Qiyu as the Crown Prince.

If Ling Qiyan truly had this intention, even if his current reputation and prestige were not good, he wouldn't necessarily be without a fighting chance. It all depended on what he himself thought.

"Why would this prince fight for the position of Crown Prince? Isn't it good to be an idle prince, eating, drinking, and making merry every day?" Ling Qiyan said with an amused laugh.

Wen Ying said disapprovingly, "His Majesty is currently in his prime. As long as he is on the throne, you can naturally live peacefully as an idle prince. But what about twenty or thirty years from now? Is Your Highness not afraid that the Crown Prince will insist on eliminating you, root and all? Since there's an opportunity, why not consider your own future more?"

The smile on Ling Qiyan's lips faded slightly. "What opportunity? If I really fight for it, success would be one thing. But if I fail, I'm afraid I won't even have those twenty or thirty years. This prince is in the prime of his life; why waste it on something like this? It's not worth it."

The truth was, he didn't want to fight at all. He was used to being carefree. Life was so comfortable now, why bother with all that effort? He'd deal with the future when it came. If he was lucky, in a few years, he could ask for a remote fiefdom and hide away. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away; it wouldn't be impossible to live a peaceful life.

If his luck was bad... well, so be it. He would just accept his fate.

After a moment of silence, Wen Ying lowered his head and said no more. Ling Qiyan reached out and tapped a finger on his chest. "Don't tell me you plan to follow this prince for twenty or thirty years? Didn't you say before that this prince would grow tired of you before you even became an official? Tsk."

As Ling Qiyan spoke, he leaned close to Wen Ying, his breath almost on his neck, his words carrying a playful, smiling tone.

Wen Ying's eyelashes fluttered. His gaze shifted sideways, landing on the beautiful smiling face so close to his, and he asked, "Will Your Highness be the same as the Crown Prince?"

"What?" As the word left his mouth, Ling Qiyan understood the meaning behind his question, and the smile in his eyes deepened. "Rest assured, this prince is not that hypocritical Crown Prince. This prince is a man of benevolence and righteousness. In the future, even if you no longer follow this prince, I won't just casually throw you to others to be harmed."

Wen Ying's gaze turned away, no longer looking at him.

After dinner, Ling Qiyan once again had Wen Ying stay behind. He pulled him into an absent-minded game of chess, drank a cup of tea, then dismissed all the servants and gestured to Wen Ying, "Lie down. Take off your pants."

Wen Ying very consciously went to untie his belt, but Ling Qiyan swatted his hand away. "No. Today, this prince is determined to top you. Take off your pants."

The movement of Wen Ying's hands paused, and he raised his eyes to look at Ling Qiyan quietly.

Ling Qiyan lifted his chin. "What are you looking at? Did you not hear this prince's command?"

"If Your Highness is unwilling for this student to serve you as before, let this student show you some other tricks," Wen Ying's voice was low and hoarse, bewitching him.

Ling Qiyan was a little suspicious. "...What tricks?"

Ling Qiyan spread his legs and sat on Wen Ying, cupping his face, his fingers caressing his handsome features as if he couldn't get enough.

Wen Ying looked back at him with a calm and steady expression, a flickering flame hidden in his eyes.

Their naked lower bodies pressed together. Ling Qiyan's pert bottom unconsciously rubbed back and forth on Wen Ying's thighs, and the hands Wen Ying had on his waist gradually tightened their grip.

This was the first time Wen Ying had actually taken off his pants in front of him. Ling Qiyan's gaze moved down, landing on that thing of his. He compared it to his own and was secretly displeased. 'How is it that this person is taller than me, and even this part of him is bigger than mine.'

But he soon had no time to think about such things. Wen Ying took both of their members into his hand, quickly stroking and squeezing them together. In the constant grinding against each other, pleasure accumulated rapidly. Ling Qiyan's voice grew hoarse, and his body went soft. He lay limp on Wen Ying's shoulder, moaning softly with each movement of his hand.

It seemed that this was even more stimulating than when Wen Ying simply served him with his hand.

But this still wasn't enough. Ling Qiyan was somewhat dissatisfied and complained in Wen Ying's ear, "You lied to this prince, you said you had new tricks..."

Wen Ying let go, wrapped his arms around Ling Qiyan's waist, and lifted him up. Caught off guard, Ling Qiyan almost cried out in surprise before landing back on his thighs. The next instant, his eyes flew wide open.

He looked down to see Wen Ying's strong thighs pressed together, already clamping his member between them. As they tightened, Ling Qiyan's face instantly flushed red, his throat constricted, and a sound like a moaning gasp escaped his lips.

Before he could react, Wen Ying had already pulled him into his embrace. Holding his waist, he began to constantly move his thighs up and down, making Ling Qiyan's thing rub back and forth in the seam of his legs.

His member swelled continuously as it moved, occasionally bumping against Wen Ying's own raised thing, creating a sticky, wet sheen.

'...How could they even do it like this.'

Ling Qiyan's body went completely limp. The overly intense stimulation made his mind go blank, and he could only lie passively on Wen Ying's shoulder, letting him guide his movements.

"Ngh..."

Prince Yu's delicate and beautiful face was completely flushed with desire. His glistening, watery eyes were consumed by lust, and the beauty mark by the corner of his eye was tinged with color, making it even more ostentatiously alluring.

Amidst the incessant friction, Ling Qiyan lost himself in a trance. He could only gasp and moan with his mouth wide open, saliva dribbling from the corner of his lips.

Towards the end, he really couldn't take it anymore and bit down hard on Wen Ying's neck.

Wen Ying turned his head to look at him, some emotion surging in his dark, heavy eyes. But in the end, he did nothing. Only when Ling Qiyan was at the peak of his unbearable passion did he place a barely-there kiss on the hair at his temple.

When he sat down in the bath, Ling Qiyan's body was still limp. He didn't call anyone in to help wash his back; he just leaned against the side of the pool, closing his eyes to rest.

The steam rose, making Ling Qiyan even more languid, but his mind gradually cleared. Savoring the taste of what had just happened, he couldn't help but smack his lips, then immediately furrowed his brow.

'Just now, he had been coaxed into a daze by Wen Ying and hadn't realized. Thinking back on it now, how did it seem like Wen Ying was the one in control the entire time? Although he was the one who had enjoyed himself, that poor scholar was a bit too arrogant. Besides, he hadn't truly managed to get the man, and had let that kid get away again.'

At this thought, Ling Qiyan became furious again and slammed his fist into the bathwater.

Wen Ying returned to his quarters, hastily bathed, and washed the stickiness from his body. He sat down under the lamplight and picked up a book, but his mind was wandering. The image of Ling Qiyan's exceptionally alluring eyes when he was lost in passion flashed through his mind from time to time.

After sitting quietly for a moment, Wen Ying extinguished the lamp, lay down on the bed, and his hand moved down.

Closing his eyes, Ling Qiyan's watery peach blossom eyes appeared before him again, and those alluring sounds echoed faintly in his ears.

Early the next morning, not long after Ling Qiyan had gotten up, a servant rushed in to report that someone from the Palace of Phoenix Grace had arrived; Her Majesty the Empress had summoned him to the palace for questioning.

Ling Qiyan stretched lazily. He knew he couldn't escape it; he just hadn't expected it to be so soon.

"Let them wait. This prince hasn't had breakfast yet."

Afterwards, he instructed Jiang Lin, "Send someone to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity and inform the Empress Dowager about this matter."

Jiang Lin accepted the order and hurried off to do it.

Wen Ying came in to pay his respects just in time to hear this. He asked, "Will anything happen to Your Highness at the palace?"

"What could happen? I'll just get a scolding from the Empress, what else can she do?" Ling Qiyan said dismissively. In private, he couldn't even be bothered to call her 'Mother Empress' anymore.

Seemingly forgetting his frustration from late last night, Ling Qiyan looked at Wen Ying with a beaming smile. "Are you really worried about this prince?"

Wen Ying looked at him, his throat bobbed, and he said, "Your Highness, please go and return soon."

Author's Note:

Also, I saw some people seem to have a misunderstanding about snuff. Snuff isn't opium, haha. It was a very fashionable item among the powerful and noble of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the harm it does to the body is even less than modern cigarettes. You can just think of them as smoking.