Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Of course it's true," Zhu Qinghou said casually, smoothing open a scroll at his side and slowly tracing his fingers over it. "So? They couldn't find it?"

This time, oddly enough, Li Zhen did not stop him from looking at the scrolls. "...No," he said indifferently.

Zhu Qinghou turned, surprised, his gaze shifting away from the clusters of needle holes on the scroll. "I thought everyone in Prince Su's residence had supernatural abilities, surely competent enough to handle such a trivial matter."

Even if the people of Prince Su's residence truly possessed such powers, they probably couldn't conjure thirty million taels of silver out of thin air.

Li Zhen's features were exquisitely beautiful, his expression aloof, possessing a coldness so extreme it became captivating. His voice was just as faint. "If something doesn't exist, where are they supposed to find it?"

At this, Zhu Qinghou raised an eyebrow slightly. His fingertips continued to trace the scroll as usual, his expression unchanged, his tone barely wavering.

"Doesn't exist?" He laughed. "If you don't believe me, then just assume it doesn't exist."

Rather than lengthy explanations and justifications, this cavalier, emboldened attitude was actually more convincing.

Even a sliver of belief, a hint of doubt, was enough for him to survive.

Li Zhen's face, as flawless as ice and jade, still showed no trace of emotion. Even the drape of his white silk blindfold hadn't altered in the slightest.

"Is that so?"

His voice was clear, cold, and measured, devoid of any hint of malice, yet it sent a jolt through Zhu Qinghou.

"Believe it or not," Zhu Qinghou tossed out this phrase and fell silent, pretending to be engrossed in stroking the scroll, seemingly focused but not reading a single word.

Last year, the Ministry of Justice had used every trick in the book to extract the whereabouts of those thirty million taels of silver from him.

In comparison, Li Zhen was being exceedingly merciful.

Light and shadow swept across, falling on the young Prince's distinct, cool features. The white silk cast a faint shadow, dividing his face, covering one side of his nose bridge, creating a stark contrast between light and dark.

"So, it seems they were derelict in their duties?" Li Zhen said calmly.

Zhu Qinghou had no intention of shifting the blame onto them. Propping his head on his hand, he leaned lazily against the desk and spoke up. "There are quite a few in the Ye capital with immense power and influence."

For instance, the Eldest Prince, Li Jue, or the current Head of the Secretariat, Lin Hanyi.

These were first-rate hypocrites.

Greedy for power, ungrateful and treacherous.

He didn't directly name them, stopping halfway, hinting just enough to provoke speculation and suspicion.

Li Zhen remained silent for a moment, his face giving nothing away. "For example?"

Zhu Qinghou could only continue to guide him. "Who is in charge of the Secretariat now?" He couldn't be bothered to utter the name of that dog, Lin Hanyi. Just thinking about him was irritating.

Lin Hanyi, his father's most prized disciple, the most trusted retainer of the Zhu family.

This man came from a poor background, a little beggar Zhu Qinghou had picked up from the streets as a child. Even his name was given by Zhu Qinghou.

Later, it was he who, in alliance with the Censorate, impeached the Zhu family, turning on his own kin for righteousness, earning the Emperor's praise. After Zhu Qingping's death, he took over the position of Head of the Secretariat.

"Lin Hanyi?"

At the mention of this name, Li Zhen's voice remained calm, but his tone inexplicably turned a bit colder.

Zhu Qinghou lay sprawled on the desk, tilting his head, idly playing with Li Zhen's hair. "What? You also think he's a dog?" he muttered softly, deciding to pin this big black pot squarely on Lin Hanyi. "Perhaps he secretly embezzled the silver."

Lin Hanyi, oh Lin Hanyi, you joined forces with the Censorate to pin a black pot on the Zhu family. I'll get you back sooner or later.

Zhu Qinghou's eyes, usually clear and smiling, flashed with coldness.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhen's focus wasn't on the silver. "You think he's a dog?"

Li Zhen would actually use such coarse language?

It felt rather incongruous.

Zhu Qinghou found it somewhat novel and lifted his eyes to look at him, only to find the other's face expressionless. Even when mimicking his crude words, he still maintained that unflappable, gentle-as-jade demeanor.

But inexplicably, he felt that when Li Zhen said this, he seemed... somewhat pleased?

"He's not a dog," Zhu Qinghou quickly corrected himself.

Li Zhen quietly "looked" at him through the white silk, the faint, almost imperceptible smile between his brows already gone.

"He's lower than a dog."

Zhu Qinghou, indignant, launched into a tirade against Lin Hanyi, calling him worse than pigs and dogs, a beast in human form.

Li Zhen remained silent throughout, only slightly curling his lips in a shallow, fleeting smile.

Zhu Qinghou talked until his mouth was dry. He picked up the cup beside him and drank. After he finished, Li Zhen slowly said, "That's mine."

"It's fine," Zhu Qinghou magnanimously forgave Li Zhen for the cup. "We even wore the same clothes when we were young."

Li Zhen had grown older, how was he even shyer than in his youth?

Li Zhen: "..."

With his antics, the previously tense and serious atmosphere instantly dissipated. The topic shifted from "Did Zhu Qinghou lie to him?" to "Lin Hanyi is worse than pigs and dogs."

Li Zhen didn't bring up the thirty million taels of silver again, presumably believing him.

Zhu Qinghou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, although Lin Hanyi was worse than pigs and dogs, he was quite useful as a scapegoat.

Having finally muddled through the silver matter, and to prevent Li Zhen from having time to quietly find holes in his story, Zhu Qinghou diligently created commotion beside him.

He casually smoothed out the scroll in front of him and continued to trace it, reading aloud as he did so. "Thirty thousand *dan* of rice from Si Province..."

Coincidentally, this scroll happened to be related to the grain sent from Si Province.

Could it be that Li Zhen intentionally showed it to him? Had he discovered that Zhu Qinghou had been secretly reading the scrolls a few days ago?

The thought crossed Zhu Qinghou's mind, but he paid it no heed and continued reading, determined to make Li Zhen's head buzz.

Li Zhen: "..."

Outside the study.

The line of Yong Province officials waiting for an audience with Prince Su: "..."

Who's chanting scriptures inside?

It's actually a rather nice voice.

The prince's guard cautiously announced their arrival, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead, ignoring the purple-robed youth slumped over the desk muttering scriptures, and informed Prince Su: "The newly appointed officials of Yongzhou have arrived."

These officials, some were transferred by imperial decree, having traveled thousands of miles from Yejing, while others came from other prefectures and commanderies.

The journey was long, setting them back by a small half-month. As soon as they arrived, they hurried to pay their respects to Prince Su.

"Let them in," Li Zhen calmly instructed.

The guard shot an uneasy glance at Zhu Qinghou. When newly appointed officials came to see His Highness Prince Su, wasn't it inappropriate for him to remain here?

If word got out that His Highness was handling government affairs in his study accompanied by a male favorite, wouldn't that be...

If Zhu Qinghou had any sense of propriety, he should have discreetly left through the side door.

But Zhu Qinghou showed no such awareness. He even lazily stretched, propping himself up slightly and leaning against a hidden cushion, the picture of relaxation.

"What are you waiting for? Call them in."

The guard: "..."

If one didn't know better, they might think you were the master of the prince's mansion.

Since His Highness Prince Su hadn't spoken, it was clear he tacitly allowed Zhu Qinghou's presumptuous act.

The guard had no choice but to turn around and lead the officials in, who followed like timid chicks.

The officials had long heard of Prince Su's notorious reputation—that he killed without blinking, ruled with extreme strictness, and was the Yama guarding the border. They were all trembling with fear, as if standing on the edge of a precipice, and performed their bows with extreme care.

After waiting a long while, they heard a clear, youthful voice: "Rise!"

His Highness Prince Su's voice was actually so...

So...

Lively?

The bolder ones cautiously glanced up from the corners of their eyes, their gazes lifting slightly. What came into view was a flash of purple, and beside it, a cool, monastic black.

Looking further up, Prince Su wore a white silk blindfold, his gaze icy.

The official: "!!!"

He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look again.

For a moment, he felt as though His Highness Prince Su was like a fierce beast guarding its food, not allowing anyone to glance at his prized possession.

...Could it have been his imagination?

Zhu Qinghou was completely unaware of the undercurrents in that moment and continued directing the scene on his own: "Everyone, rise!"

He didn't care in the slightest whether he was stealing Li Zhen's thunder. Leaning his head over, he casually flipped through the dossiers in front of Li Zhen and called out randomly, "You there, where are you from?"

"Replying... my lord,"

The official who was addressed pondered the appropriate form of address, unable to discern the identity of this purple-robed youth. Seeing the red mole between his eyebrows and his striking looks, he somewhat suspected it might be Zhu Qinghou. However, given the past enmity between Zhu Qinghou and His Highness Prince Su, how could His Highness possibly allow him to sit comfortably by his side?

He racked his brains but couldn't guess this person's identity, so he cautiously replied, "This humble official comes from Yejing."

"Yejing?" Zhu Qinghou gave him a once-over. He didn't recognize him—probably some minor official from a remote corner. "That's quite far. Should the prince's mansion subsidize your travel and relocation costs? How about that?"

The official was both flattered and suspicious, wondering if His Highness Prince Su intended to use him as a target, letting this beautiful youth make an example of him to warn others. He quickly knelt.

"This humble official dare not."

"Take it if you want it, refuse if you don't," Zhu Qinghou said lazily. "What do you mean by 'dare not'?"

His tone was light and casual, carrying a hint of curiosity, making the atmosphere in the study noticeably more relaxed. The officials grew bolder and began to glance at the person behind the desk.

The purple-robed youth lounged lazily in an armchair, tilting his head to look at the scrolls beside the person next to him. Beneath his dark, beautiful widow's peak was a red mole on his forehead, and his jet-black hair was casually tied with a purple silk ribbon, with a few stray strands hanging down.

Everyone fell into deep thought simultaneously—

Come to think of it, how exactly did those jingling little braids in His Highness Prince Su's hair come about?

Li Zhen naturally noticed those gazes. Without changing his expression, he didn't touch the little braids but subtly tilted his head instead, letting them show.

The slight silver glint in his jet-black hair seemed out of place yet carried a strangely harmonious touch.

The officials: "..."

Is it our imagination, or does it feel like he's showing off?

The official who had been questioned by Zhu Qinghou earlier composed a mental draft and spoke with extreme caution: "Your servant has a salary and requires no travel compensation. Thank you for Your Highness's and my lord's concern."

In short: I have money; no need to give me extra.

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately regretted it. It was precisely because he lacked money for bribes that he had been exiled to this godforsaken place, Yongzhou.

He hoped this lord would be more insistent, firmly offering him extra money no matter how politely he declined.

Zhu Qinghou said, "Since you don't need it, fine." He casually asked the others, "Does anyone need subsidies for travel expenses? Report your names, all of you."

Author's Note:

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The chapter title feels like something Xiao Yu would say himself, haha [sparkling eyes]

Xiao Yu: Extra money, extra money, give everyone extra money.

Xian Pu: Silently takes out his wallet.

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I was in a car accident a couple of days ago and am aching all over. I've used up my drafts and am now writing on the fly. Everyone, please be careful when driving!