The Longevity Festival was on the second day of the eighth month. Starting from the last ten days of the seventh month, envoys from various vassal states had already arrived in Shangjing City one after another with their tributes, and were arranged to stay in the State Guesthouse.

The Great Cheng Dynasty was the celestial dynasty of the Central Plains. Established for over a hundred years, it was at the peak of its national strength. From south to north and from west to east, countless small surrounding countries were its dependents, pledging allegiance and paying tribute to Great Cheng.

Every year during the New Year festivities and the Longevity Festival, these small vassal states would dispatch envoys to Shangjing City to present tributes and offer birthday wishes, as a show of their sincere allegiance. Of course, to display its magnanimity as a great nation, the Great Cheng Dynasty would entertain these envoys with fine food and drink every time. When they returned to their countries, the rewards they took with them far exceeded the annual tributes they had paid.

Ling Qiyan was in charge of this affair. No matter how little he cared, he couldn't truly ignore it. Since the delegations from various countries began arriving in the capital one after another, the officials who originally reported to his manor every three days now reported daily. For the many trivial matters, even if subordinate officials made the decisions, they would still inform him to keep him aware.

In the main hall of the Prince's Manor, Ling Qiyan was distractedly sipping his tea, listening as a subordinate official reported in a low voice: "This time, because it is His Majesty's fortieth birthday, to show its importance, quite a few countries have had their monarchs personally lead delegations to offer birthday wishes. Almost everyone has arrived now. There are still a few days before the official court audience with His Majesty for the Longevity Festival. As per tradition, the State Guesthouse is to host a banquet to welcome them and wash away the dust of their journey. The time is set for tomorrow evening. Would Your Highness be willing to condescend and make an appearance?"

Ling Qiyan toyed with a luminous pearl in his hand, raising it to examine it closely in the sunlight streaming through the window, and asked, "Where did this come from?"

The official glanced at it, thought for a moment, and replied, "It should be from the Cilie Tribe of Mobei. This subordinate saw that they seem to have two even larger luminous pearls of this kind. One is on the tribute list, and the other will presumably be sent to the Eastern Palace."

Upon hearing this, Ling Qiyan put down the pearl. The object, which had seemed quite rare a moment ago, instantly lost its appeal.

Every time these small vassal states came to the capital, besides presenting tribute, they never forgot to send gifts to the Eastern Palace. They would also give them to the powerful and noble officials in the court. Because of his assignment, his Prince Yu's Manor had also received gifts from these people for the first time. There were quite a few good things, but they still couldn't compare to those given to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

"Alright, this Prince understands. The banquet is tomorrow evening, correct? This Prince will go." Ling Qiyan waved his hand, dismissing the man with a few brief words.

The next evening, as he was about to leave, he ran into Wen Ying, who had come to pay his respects. The boy had his examination in just over ten days and hadn't been going to the Imperial Academy for the past few days, only holing himself up in the manor to study. An idea struck Ling Qiyan, and he said to him, "Come on, this Prince will take you out for some wine and let you relax a bit."

Wen Ying followed Ling Qiyan to the State Guesthouse. In the banquet hall, rows of wine tables were already set up, with only the empty main seat reserved for Ling Qiyan.

When Ling Qiyan appeared, the crowd rose to greet him. The appearance and dress of these people were mostly different from those of Great Cheng. Ling Qiyan gave a casual glance, and with a smile playing on his lips, he said a few pleasantries and motioned for them to sit.

He then had someone add a wine table below him on his left and had Wen Ying sit there.

Fine wine and delicacies were served one by one, accompanied by entertaining music from pipes, flutes, and drums. The vassal state delegations had all brought beautiful women skilled in dancing, who took turns performing before Ling Qiyan.

The foreign women, dressed only in light gauze and thin silks, were charming, beautiful, and full of amorous feelings. All of them were fiery and bold. Amidst their graceful singing and dancing, they would occasionally cast coquettish glances at Ling Qiyan on the main seat and strike their most seductive poses before him.

Ling Qiyan propped his head on one hand, watching with a smile. It was clear that the dancers' performances greatly pleased him.

Wen Ying raised his eyes to look at Ling Qiyan, his gaze sweeping over the gracefully dancing women, and expressionlessly downed a mouthful of wine.

Later on, the envoys took turns going up to toast Ling Qiyan, and Ling Qiyan got drunk again.

A bold one approached Ling Qiyan and wouldn't leave, constantly trying to curry favor and urging him to drink. Seeing Ling Qiyan being persuaded to down three large cups of wine in a row, just as he was about to drink again, Wen Ying finally stood up, went over, and blocked his hand.

Ling Qiyan looked up, displeased. "What are you doing? This Prince wants to drink. Get out of the way."

The man, who had been speaking animatedly and boastfully before Ling Qiyan, fell silent. His shrewd gaze circled Wen Ying, unsure of his identity. He politely introduced himself as the monarch of a small country in the southwest.

Among the beautiful dancers who had performed earlier, the most stunning ones had been brought by this man. Each was as beautiful as a celestial maiden, causing everyone present to stare with wide eyes. Even Ling Qiyan had treated him with special regard because of them.

Wen Ying paid him no mind, only pressing down on the cup and reminding Ling Qiyan, "Your Highness, you are drunk. You can't drink anymore."

The corners of Ling Qiyan's eyes were flushed red, his peach blossom eyes glistening beautifully but filled with anger. He berated him, "Get lost! It's not your place to meddle in this Prince's affairs."

Wen Ying refused, resolutely preventing him from drinking more.

Ling Qiyan glared at Wen Ying, as if he would strike him if he said another word. Wen Ying was unmoved, not yielding an inch.

During the standoff, the monarch who had been ignored by them both spoke in fluent, if not perfectly accented, Great Cheng dialect to smooth things over. He said to Ling Qiyan, "Your Highness, regarding the matter we discussed earlier, if you are interested, I will visit your manor again tomorrow to pay my respects."

Ling Qiyan's attention was diverted, and he nodded cheerfully. "Good, you come find this Prince tomorrow. This Prince will fulfill his duties as a host and will definitely take you to all the fun places in Shangjing City."

The man was overjoyed to receive Ling Qiyan's approval. He flattered Ling Qiyan with a few more words before finally withdrawing.

Ling Qiyan impatiently waved away Wen Ying's hand, which was still blocking him. Someone else came over to offer him a toast. This time it was a tall and seemingly dignified young man dressed in the attire of someone from Mobei. He introduced himself, "Your Highness, this one is Jiang Rong. My father is the Khan of the Cilie Tribe of Mobei. I have come especially to offer Your Highness a toast."

Unlike the other drunken envoys, the young prince before him had a steady voice, neither arrogant nor servile, and was quite out of the ordinary.

Ling Qiyan couldn't help but lift his eyelids and take a second look at him. Seeing that this person was handsome, with defined brows and bright eyes—a rare beauty of a man—and that he spoke the Great Cheng language very standardly, he instantly felt a good impression and asked, "Which tribe did you just say you were from?"

"The Cilie Tribe."

Ling Qiyan frowned, his not-so-clear mind recalling that the luminous pearl from yesterday seemed to have been sent by the Cilie Tribe. The bit of good impression he had just formed instantly vanished. He said with a cold face, "Alright, this Prince knows who you are. This Prince has a headache and won't be drinking. You may go."

Jiang Rong did not withdraw immediately. His gaze fell on Ling Qiyan's flushed face, his peach blossom eyes overflowing with charm, and he paused for a moment.

As if sensing something, Wen Ying looked up and shot him a cold glance. The man met his gaze, his eyes darkening slightly, before he quickly averted his sight. He raised his right fist to his chest, bowed slightly to Ling Qiyan in a salute, and withdrew.

Late in the evening, the banquet concluded, and Wen Ying helped Ling Qiyan into the carriage to return to the manor.

The moment the carriage door closed, Ling Qiyan's palm landed on Wen Ying's face. Though it had little force, a flash of ferocity still crossed Wen Ying's eyes. As Ling Qiyan's second slap came down, he forcefully seized his wrist.

Ling Qiyan, addled by drunkenness, was pulled forward by Wen Ying and fell into his arms. He shifted his body and simply sat down on his lap.

Ling Qiyan let out a drunken hiccup. Wen Ying's face was a blur before his eyes. He sat on Wen Ying's lap, squirming restlessly, his finger poking Wen Ying's chest. He gritted his teeth and said, "You have some nerve. Besides His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress, you're the first to stop this Prince from drinking."

Wen Ying refused to admit he was wrong. "For Your Highness to get so drunk in front of so many foreign envoys is unseemly. If word gets out, it will only bring gossip upon Your Highness."

Ling Qiyan sneered, "So this Prince should thank you for admonishing him?"

"This student was acting for Your Highness's own good."

Ling Qiyan forcefully gripped Wen Ying's chin, narrowed his eyes, and stared into his. He said coldly, "For this Prince's good? What makes you think it's for this Prince's good? Don't you think you're overstepping your bounds?"

"This student was acting for Your Highness's own good," Wen Ying insisted.

He stared intently at the unguarded Ling Qiyan sitting in his lap. Although this lofty Highness, Prince Yu was angry, his beautiful, rage-filled eyes seemed even more vibrant, making it impossible for one to look away.

The pad of Ling Qiyan's thumb was caressing his chin as he contemplated how to teach this reckless, poor scholar a lesson, when Wen Ying suddenly lowered his head and took Ling Qiyan's thumb into his mouth. The soft tip of his tongue licked a circle around the pad of his thumb.

Ling Qiyan froze, subconsciously trying to pull his hand away, but his finger was caught between Wen Ying's lips. A warm, wet tongue tangled around it, holding him fast.

Waves of a ticklish sensation that made the hairs on Ling Qiyan's arms stand on end spread from the fingertip held in Wen Ying's mouth to his heart, and then throughout his entire body. Wen Ying's dark, deep eyes were fixed on him, his gaze overflowing with an indescribable emotion that Ling Qiyan could not comprehend.

When Ling Qiyan spoke again, he realized his voice had become hoarse. He said angrily, "What are you doing? Let go of this Prince! This Prince will definitely teach you a lesson, you insubordinate bastard..."

Only after completely moistening his thumb did Wen Ying release it. Ling Qiyan, having come to his senses, forcefully grabbed his neck and said viciously, "You dare take liberties with this Prince! This Prince will kill you!"

Wen Ying did not struggle, allowing him to choke him. In the end, Ling Qiyan ran out of strength himself. He let go, panting, then yawned, slumped against his shoulder, and closed his eyes.

"Poor scholar, this Prince really has a headache..."

Ling Qiyan's voice was soft and weak. Perhaps he himself didn't realize it, but to Wen Ying's ears, it sounded almost like a pout.

Wen Ying patted his back, then raised his hands and began to gently massage his temples.

Ling Qiyan finally felt comfortable. He rolled his head against Wen Ying's shoulder, leaned in, and bit the spot on his neck where he had just choked him. Before drifting off into a daze, he snorted and reminded Wen Ying, "You're not allowed to flirt with this Prince. Only this Prince can flirt with you, got it?"

"Mn," Wen Ying agreed in a low voice, humoring him.

The knot of frustration in Ling Qiyan's heart finally eased, and he leaned against Wen Ying with a clear conscience, falling into a deep sleep.

Once the breathing of the person in his arms grew steady, Wen Ying lowered his gaze and stared unblinkingly at that face, which in sleep had shed its flamboyance for more of a well-behaved facade. His thumb slowly caressed his moist lips.

A moment later, he lowered his head and covered Ling Qiyan's lips with his own, grinding against them silently.