The next day, due to a hangover, Ling Qiyan only got up after the hour of Chen.

He had originally planned to enter the palace early in the morning to report to the Emperor about the Mobei matter, but could only postpone it until the afternoon.

Ling Qiyan was having his morning meal, finding the food somewhat tasteless. Jiang Lin quietly told him that Wen Ying had come early in the morning to pay his respects, but seeing he was not yet up, had gone back.

Ling Qiyan listened absentmindedly. Before he could say anything, a young eunuch came in from outside to announce that fellow, Wen Ying, had come again.

Ling Qiyan originally wanted to tell him to get lost, but the words changed on his lips. He said instead, "Let him in."

Wen Ying entered and properly paid his respects. Ling Qiyan shot him a glance and asked casually, "Don't you have an examination tomorrow? With your mind on so many things, don't tell me you'll fail to even pass the provincial exam in the end?"

"I won't."

Wen Ying spoke with great certainty. When it came to his studies, he had always been completely confident in himself.

After speaking, he raised his eyes to look at Ling Qiyan. "Your Highness, if this student can do well in the examination this time, it will also bring you honor. Can you stop being angry and no longer resent this student?"

Ha?

Ling Qiyan was truly impressed by the thickness of this person's skin. "You still want this prince to stop being angry?"

"This student is lowly and not worth mentioning. It's not worth it for Your Highness to ruin your health by being angry because of this student."

Ling Qiyan was instantly displeased. "Get lost. Don't be an eyesore to this prince."

Wen Ying stopped bothering him. Before leaving, however, he suddenly leaned closer and raised his hand to pluck a small fallen petal from Ling Qiyan's temple.

Before Ling Qiyan could react, Wen Ying had already pulled back, taken his leave, and departed.

After the man had gone, Ling Qiyan, having come to his senses, straightened his face and scolded the servants beside him, "Are you all blind? There was something in this prince's hair, and not one of you saw it?"

All the servants lowered their heads, not daring to say much. Of course, they had seen it, but the petal had fallen just right. Its delicate and vibrant color by His Highness's temple lent a touch of rouge to his otherwise slightly pale face, making him look exceptionally beautiful. Never mind the maids who were unwilling to point it out; even Jiang Lin and the others had hesitated and ultimately remained silent.

...Only that poor scholar had to be so meddlesome.

The morning meal was not yet finished when someone suddenly arrived from the palace. The Emperor had urgently summoned Ling Qiyan to enter.

Jiang Lin, very perceptively, slipped a silver ingot to the palace eunuch who delivered the message. The eunuch quietly reminded Ling Qiyan, "This morning, Vice Minister Liu of the Ministry of Rites was reporting to His Majesty on tributary affairs when, by coincidence, the Grand Secretariat received an urgent report from the Ministry of War. There's trouble in Mobei again, and it seems to be related to the Cilie Tribe. His Majesty is furious. Your Highness, when you go before him shortly, you must be careful how you respond."

Ling Qiyan was momentarily at a loss for words. Just yesterday, that little prince of the Jiang Rong had spoken to him about this, and today, something had actually happened. How could it be such a coincidence?

Not daring to delay any longer, Ling Qiyan put down his bowl and chopsticks, changed his clothes, and ordered a carriage to be prepared for the palace.

In Xingqing Palace, officials were kneeling all over the floor. The Emperor was throwing a tantrum and cursing people out. The Crown Prince was also present. The moment Ling Qiyan walked in, he was met with a torrent of curses from the Emperor, and only then did he understand what had transpired.

After the morning court session, that Liu Shang had specially stayed behind to report to the Emperor what Jiang Rong had said yesterday about his father and elder brother colluding with Balindun with the intent to rebel. He also said that the Bureau of Receptions had received the news early on and reported it immediately to Prince Yu. It was Prince Yu who said to suppress the matter, promising to personally inform His Majesty after the Longevity Festival. Now that the Longevity Festival was over, Prince Yu seemed to have completely forgotten about it. Fearing that any further delay would lead to trouble in Mobei, he had finally brought the matter before the throne.

Before he had even finished speaking, the assisting ministers of the Grand Secretariat arrived in a hurry with officials from the Ministry of War. They reported that they had received an urgent military dispatch from Mobei that morning: Balindun was on the move again. Tens of thousands of troops had bypassed the Cilie Tribe to pillage and occupy three small tribes to their south.

The Emperor was livid.

For the past ten-odd years, the Cilie Tribe had gradually grown strong with the support of Great Cheng. They were at the height of their military power. If they had truly resisted Balindun's invasion with all their might, it would have been absolutely impossible for the Balindun to accomplish this in such a short time. It was highly likely that the Cilie Tribe had turned a blind eye to their actions, allowing them to succeed.

In recent years, Great Cheng had always stationed heavy troops on the Northwest border, personally led by the Emperor's most trusted fifth younger brother, Prince Jing, which was how they maintained peace in the Northwest. Since Balindun could not break through the Northwest to attack the Great Cheng Dynasty, they could only turn their sights to the other tribes of Mobei. The Cilie Tribe was supposed to be a watchdog that the Great Cheng Dynasty had painstakingly raised to guard its home, yet no one expected it to turn around and bite them. The Khan of the Cilie Tribe had actually colluded with the Balindun, their hereditary enemies, and intended to rebel against the Great Cheng Dynasty.

Although those three small tribes were inconspicuous, they were very close to several of the Great Cheng Dynasty's key passes leading into Mobei. Balindun's conquest of those tribes was a blatant act of provocation against the Great Cheng Dynasty.

How could the Emperor not be vexed? Especially upon hearing that his "good son" had deliberately suppressed such an important matter and forbidden anyone from telling him. Even if it was done to avoid spoiling his mood for the Longevity Festival, it still made him fly into a towering rage, seething with anger.

And so, Ling Qiyan was scolded. He tried to explain that he had never even heard of the matter, but he couldn't make himself clear. In any case, the Emperor didn't believe him, only feeling that he was shirking his responsibility.

If he had not been so careless about his duties, if he had been more vigilant and taken the initiative to inquire about various matters—instead of waiting for subordinate officials to come to his manor every few days to report, which had emboldened them to casually deceive him—he would not have been fooled. In the end, he was indeed negligent.

Ling Qiyan knelt on the floor, his head bowed, letting the Emperor scold him as his mind raced. He refused to believe it was such a coincidence. Without this urgent report from the Ministry of War, if the news of the Cilie Tribe's movements had simply been presented to the throne a few days later, his Imperial Father would not have been nearly this angry. For Liu Shang to act this way, it was likely he had received the news much earlier.

With this thought, Ling Qiyan slanted a glance at Ling Qiyu, who was standing to one side.

Ling Qiyu still wore his feigned expression of solemnity. When the Emperor had more or less vented his anger, he interjected at the opportune moment, "Imperial Father, Elder Brother is only shadowing and learning at places like the Bureau of Receptions. Moreover, he has only been involved with tributary affairs for a month. Now that something has gone wrong, not all the blame can be placed on him. Please, calm your anger."

Persuaded by Ling Qiyu, the Emperor did indeed calm down a bit. He glared at Ling Qiyan again. "Incapable of accomplishing anything, yet more than capable of ruining things! We should never have placed any hope in you!"

After the Emperor finished venting, he directly chased Ling Qiyan out. He was no longer needed to hear how the matter would be handled.

Ling Qiyan stood woodenly outside Xingqing Palace for a moment, then tilted his head back to gaze at the vast sky and gently closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, that devil-may-care expression had returned to his face as he strode down the stone steps.

After returning to his manor, Ling Qiyan did not go out again. Jiang Rong sent someone over to apologize, saying that he had been summoned to the palace for questioning by the Emperor and that the matter had implicated His Highness. He promised to come and apologize in person later on.

Ling Qiyan waved his hand dismissively. "Go back and tell him not to come, lest it stir up more gossip."

He had completely lost interest in this whole mess and didn't want to deal with it at all. Let it be. This wasn't a post he wanted from the very beginning; he was indeed better suited to being an idle prince.

As night fell, Wen Ying came again to pay his respects to Ling Qiyan. For once, Ling Qiyan was quietly reading a book, though it was still one for leisure.

Wen Ying entered, but Ling Qiyan didn't even raise an eyelid, simply turning another page of the book in his hand.

Wen Ying took the initiative to ask, "Has Your Highness encountered some trouble?"

Ling Qiyan finally looked up. "Do you think this prince looks troubled?"

Wen Ying silently sized him up.

Although Ling Qiyan maintained his lazy demeanor, a lingering vexation was hidden between his brows. He was likely sulking.

"Heh." Ling Qiyan glanced at the chiming clock. It was already the end of the hour of Xu.

A person with an examination tomorrow was still loitering here this late. Who pays their respects at this hour?

As if completely unaware that he had come at an inopportune time, Wen Ying continued to ask, "Your Highness was summoned to the palace by His Majesty today, correct? Did something happen? This student is Your Highness's retainer and is willing to share your burdens."

For once, Ling Qiyan was amused. Share his burdens? That was a novelty. But even when flattering someone, this fellow still wore a deadpan expression. Truly...

And he had the nerve to call himself a retainer. So today he remembered he was merely a retainer, after having already done every insubordinate thing imaginable. And now he was here, putting on an act.

Ignoring the mockery filling Ling Qiyan's eyes, Wen Ying added, "If Your Highness tells me, perhaps this student can help you come up with a plan."

Meeting Wen Ying's calm gaze, Ling Qiyan had a change of heart and actually told him the whole story. After listening, Wen Ying's brow furrowed slightly. "Your Highness thinks the Crown Prince had Vice Minister Liu do it?"

Ling Qiyan said coldly, "Perhaps. That Liu Shang has always been close to the Shen Family. He has held a grudge against this prince over the matter with Liu Qingxi, so naturally, he'd be willing to help the Crown Prince. As for the situation in Mobei, the Crown Prince has always kept a close eye on it. It's not impossible that he received some news in advance."

In the past, Liu Qingxi only hung around him because he, Prince Yu, was generous with money. In reality, Liu Qingxi spent more time with Shen Xingyao's group; otherwise, he wouldn't have helped them commit murder. As for his father, Liu Shang, he had numerous dealings with Duke Wei. Liu Qingxi himself had hinted at all this on the few occasions he'd had too much to drink.

Just thinking about it made Ling Qiyan's blood boil.

A servant brought hot water to help Ling Qiyan wash up. Wen Ying naturally took the hot towel and began to wipe his face for him.

As Wen Ying's hand rubbed his face through the hot towel, Ling Qiyan frowned and glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Helping Your Highness wash your face," Wen Ying said calmly. Then he took Ling Qiyan's hand and began to wipe his palm.

Ling Qiyan wanted to curse, but Wen Ying gently squeezed his palm. "Your Highness, calm your anger. There's no need to trouble your mind and get angry over these external affairs."

"Then don't ask!"

Wen Ying patted the back of his hand again to soothe him. "If the Crown Prince was behind it, that's not surprising. But for him to both help Your Highness get a post and then deliberately sabotage you, he must be a fickle person."

"That little bastard has been like that since he was a child." At the mention of Ling Qiyu, Ling Qiyan grew even more irritable. "One moment, he's all smiles, sidling up to this prince to curry favor, and the next, he's using dirty tricks to sabotage me."

Ling Qiyan always felt that because he had previously refused that dog Ling Qiyu's "favor"—unhesitatingly exposing his pretense and deliberately ridiculing him—he had provoked him into a shame-faced rage, causing him to use such crude tactics to scheme against him and make their Imperial Father dislike him even more.

That dog Ling Qiyu wasn't just fickle; there was something fundamentally wrong with his brain, and it wasn't a minor case.

Wen Ying asked in a low voice, "Since Your Highness knows his character, once he ascends the throne, he will surely torment you with even greater intensity. Why are you letting him get his wish?"

Ling Qiyan snorted. "You don't need to try and sway this prince. This prince is lazy and has no interest in fighting him for the throne, much less in being Emperor. But if he schemes against this prince and makes my life difficult, I will certainly not let him have an easy time of it either. Unless he becomes Emperor and kills me directly—but that's still a long way off. What is there to fear?"

His principle had always been not to bother anyone who didn't bother him. But if someone offended him, he would surely repay them in kind, regardless of who it was.

"Then how does Your Highness plan to deal with the Crown Prince this time and vent your anger?"

Detecting the coldness in Wen Ying's voice, Ling Qiyan shot him a sideways glance. "Didn't you say you would help share this prince's burdens? You think of something."

Wen Ying actually pondered for a moment before speaking, "The Crown Prince's concern for the Mobei affair is simply due to his intention to get his hands on military power. Now that trouble has broken out in Mobei, the court will likely have to dispatch troops again. The forces in the Northwest cannot be moved, so someone will have to be sent from the capital to lead soldiers there. The Crown Prince will surely try every means to have His Majesty send one of his own men. As long as Your Highness prevents the Crown Prince from getting his wish, he will surely be most displeased."

"How can that be done?"

"It need not be too troublesome," Wen Ying reminded him. "His Majesty is currently infatuated with that new Lady Jieyu. Just have her whisper in his ear, casually mentioning to His Majesty how the people of those small vassal states adore both His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince, worshipping them like gods. If this is said often enough, His Majesty will inevitably grow suspicious that in the eyes of those foreigners, the Crown Prince holds a status equal to his own as Emperor. That is surely not something he would be pleased to see."

"He will naturally begin to wonder how the officials and commoners of the Great Cheng Dynasty view him, their Emperor, and his Crown Prince. The more he thinks about it, the more he will inevitably harbor resentment toward the Crown Prince."

"If the Crown Prince makes any move at this time, especially if he tries to touch military power, His Majesty will certainly become even more displeased and will naturally not let him have his way."

Ling Qiyan's eyes darted about. He gave Wen Ying a light kick. "I didn't expect a poor scholar like you to know how to scheme about such things. This idea isn't half bad."

"As long as I can share Your Highness's burdens," Wen Ying said lightly.

Having cheered Ling Qiyan up, Wen Ying said no more. He removed Ling Qiyan's shoes and socks, helped him wash his feet, and massaged the soles of his feet as he pressed them into the hot water.

Ling Qiyan seemed to be enjoying it, humming softly. His rounded toes stepped on the back of Wen Ying's hand a few times, and Wen Ying, without changing expression, lightly tickled the sole of his foot in return.

The sounds escaping Ling Qiyan's lips unconsciously became more and more alluring. Wen Ying lowered his eyes and continued the massage.

Unexpectedly, the image from earlier that day floated into his mind: Ling Qiyan with the flower by his temple, his appearance breathtakingly beautiful. It caused him to involuntarily increase the pressure of his hands.

After they had washed and changed, Wen Ying helped Ling Qiyan into bed. He pulled down the bed curtains, blew out the lamp, and stood beside the bed for a moment.

From within the bed curtains, Ling Qiyan tossed out, "Do well on the exam tomorrow," then turned over and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

In the darkness, the deep inkiness in Wen Ying's eyes gradually melted away, replaced by a touch of gentleness.