Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The young male concubine really was a hothead.

They could be chatting just fine, and he'd suddenly slap on a sour face.

Shen Lian was about to lecture him on manners when he suddenly remembered their conversation in the plum garden last time.

The reason Dian Xia wouldn't let him suddenly reach out and touch him was because he had been ambushed by his older brother as a child, and Dian Xia's father had pretended not to see it.

Shen Lian's chest tightened.

So it was because he couldn't face his childhood trauma that Dian Xia suddenly refused to talk about what his father did, huh?

Besides, if his father were capable, how could he have sold his son into the prince's household as a male favorite?

Dian Xia's father was likely a complete deadbeat who neglected his family and loved gambling.

He couldn't hold a candle to Lu Huaizhi's family, where the young man had become Deputy Commander of the Tengxiang Guard at an age that young.

It was precisely because he envied Lu Huaizhi having his family behind him that Dian Xia was so hostile from the very first meeting.

Although Dian Xia's current behavior was rude.

But...

The young male concubine was really pitiful.

Shen Lian's anger fizzled out thanks to his own reasoning. He slowly reached out his hand toward Dian Xia's shoulder, and only when Dian Xia looked at his hand with a bewildered expression did he give it a comforting pat and whisper softly, "It's okay, Dian Xia. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. From now on, we won't mention your father at all. Let's just pretend he's already dead—"

Dian Xia suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth.

Xie Yuan had stopped the young imperial physician just before he could say something that would get nine generations of his family executed, shooting a warning glare at Lu Huaizhi beside them, as if to say, "Say that again and you're dead."

But Lu Huaizhi looked even more confused than Shen Lian.

Only then did Xie Yuan realize he'd slipped up. He released the young imperial physician, cleared his throat, and put on a show of being a dutiful son: "He is, after all, my father. Lord Shen, watch your mouth."

Shen Lian stared at the young male concubine in surprise, never expecting that this arrogant, wild bad boy could have such an emotional side.

"This is no time for small talk." Lu Huaizhi took a deep breath and said worriedly, "Mr. Dian's strategy is feasible, but the world's a big place. Where do we even start to find Zhou Fuqing's crimes and cut through the red tape? Until Zhou Fuqing is brought to justice, Imperial Physician Shen won't be able to rest easy."

Xie Yuan said, "You can go to the government office to retrieve the case files from recent years. Zhou Fuqing may have ways to clear his name, but he can't destroy the court's official case records. Find the case with the most serious charges and get it overturned for the victim."

"Whoa!" Shen Lian's eyes sparkled as he looked at the young male concubine. "How did you come up with such a shortcut so fast? That never even crossed our minds!"

Xie Yuan smirked and looked down at the young imperial physician as if it were only natural. "If I thought the same as you two, would I even deserve to be in the prince's household? I might as well go find some garrison and be a deputy commander."

"..." Lu Huaizhi couldn't for the life of him figure out what he had done to offend this advisor.

Why did he keep bringing up that he was Deputy Commander of the Tengxiang Guard?

It wasn't anything to be ashamed of. In the past ten years, no one else had made Deputy Commander at Lu Huaizhi's age.

He didn't understand why this advisor seemed to look down on the rank.

So arrogant and reckless, he really didn't seem like a typical household advisor. But his arrogance was well-founded.

His mind worked fast, ruthlessly, and accurately. No wonder he could weasel his way into the prince's household at such a young age.

Indeed, the smartest people in the world gathered around the prince.

Since the prince himself could put up with this kid's arrogance, then to keep Imperial Physician Shen alive, he—a Deputy Commander—could put up with him for a few days.

"Got it." Lu Huaizhi nodded. "I can handle this, but I'll need Mr. Dian to work alongside me. I'll have people dig up the case files related to Zhou Fuqing, and you find a way to get Prince Xi to oversee the case. Otherwise, even if we get to the bottom of it, the Lord Prefect might not be willing to reopen the case."

Xie Yuan said, "I've already gotten the prince on board. Do I need a bunch of eunuchs to help me dig through files? Who said I want to work with you?"

Lu Huaizhi frowned, barely holding back his anger. "This isn't your business after all. If you want someone to help, you should ask Imperial Physician Shen for permission."

Both of them turned to Shen Lian at the same time.

Shen Lian finally got a chance to have a say in the decision.

Although he was the one being ambushed and hunted, from spotting the danger, to analyzing the situation, to deciding the strategy—it had all been Lu Huaizhi and Xie Yuan's doing.

Actually, Shen Lian wished they'd just hash it all out and assign him his part in one go.

Because right now, the two of them were eyeing him like tigers about to swallow him whole.

Shen Lian couldn't figure out why things had suddenly ground to a halt here, but he had a vague sense that his choice mattered.

"I think..." Shen Lian's gaze wavered between Lu Huaizhi's suppressed anger and the young male concubine's restless, expectant eyes. "I also think Brother Lu's idea of working together is better. Dian Xia, just try to see if you can get Prince Xi to send a word to the Lord Prefect. Brother Lu and I can start digging through the documents right away. Wouldn't that get things done faster?"

Lu Huaizhi finally let out a small breath and nodded.

But the young male concubine shot back, looking disappointed. "No. Either it's all me, or I'm out. Lord Shen, you promised I'd always come first."

"I don't get what there is to fight over." Lu Huaizhi raised his voice for the first time, cutting Dian Xia off. "People's lives are at stake. What's wrong with splitting the work and cooperating? Sir, you're so smart—why argue over something so pointless as who does what? Forgive my slowness, but it feels like you're trying to shut me out. If you really look down on me, a mere garrison deputy commander, I won't try to climb above my station. I'll be on my way, then."

"What do you mean 'climbing higher'? Brother Lu saved my life." That was too blunt, and even Shen Lian could hear the intent to cut ties. He hastily tried to stop him. "I'm just an 8th-Rank Imperial Doctor. If anyone's reaching above their station, it's me, trying to touch the moon by knowing you, a 4th-Rank Assistant Commissioner. Brother Lu, please don't be mad. Dian Xia just talks like that—he doesn't mean any harm and isn't looking down on anyone. He's always been like this with me too, but every time, he helps me with all his heart!"

Xie Yuan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

This young imperial physician seemed unable to tell the Commander and Deputy Commander apart on the surface, yet he could actually tell the difference between Deputy Commander, Vice Commissioner, and Assistant Commissioner, and knew the ranks cold.

Could it be he'd misjudged him?

Was he the actual fool here?

Lu Huaizhi sighed, once again touched by Shen Lian's sincerity. He swallowed his anger, calmed down, and reassured Imperial Physician Shen, "It's fine. This Mr. Dian does genuinely care about you—otherwise, he wouldn't have climbed into your courtyard and waited patiently for the assassins to make a move. But what he said doesn't sound like he's willing to work with me to get you through this. What happens next is up to you. Talk it over with him first."

"I understand. Brother Lu, wait a moment."

Shen Lian walked around to stand in front of the young male concubine, slowly grabbed his sleeve and pulled him over to the doorstep, whispering, "What are you even doing, Dian Xia? Brother Lu was kind enough to escort me home, and you're acting like you're deliberately pushing him out. How do you think he feels?"

Xie Yuan stared down the alley and said quietly, "This little thing is more than enough for me to handle alone. I don't need help. Lord Shen, do you believe in me or not?"

"It's not about whether you're good enough!" Shen Lian was so anxious he nearly jumped out of his skin, whispering, "Brother Lu saved my skin twice. Now we're all discussing a plan, and after we're done, we inexplicably kick him out of the picture. Even with my EQ, I couldn't do something that heartless! He could turn down my request for help by saying he's busy, but I can't just push him out—that's too humiliating! Do you understand, Dian Xia?"

Xie Yuan turned his head and frowned at the young imperial physician in confusion. "Why do you care what he thinks? Don't you believe I can take care of Zhou Fuqing on my own? You just need to look after me, don't you get it?"

Shen Lian was dumbfounded.

He couldn't logically figure out why the young male concubine would say something so cold.

But a subtle intuition made Shen Lian vaguely sense what the real problem was.

"Dian Xia." Shen Lian softened his voice and explained patiently, "Maybe in your father's eyes, he only cares about whichever son is useful. But that's not how it works with me. I never valued you as my brother because you're incredibly capable. Even if you couldn't do a thing today, you'd still be my brother. I wouldn't ditch you for being useless, and I sure as hell won't ignore Brother Lu's feelings just because you're incredibly capable."

A moment of silence.

Xie Yuan's amber eyes shifted stubbornly. "I'm leaving. You and your Deputy Commander Lu can go to the yamen and slowly flip through those thousands of petitions."

"Wait!" Shen Lian reached out to grab his sleeve, a bit too eager in his haste, and sure enough, the young male concubine caught his wrist in return.

Xie Yuan reacted instantly, letting go and turning to look at him. "What?"

"First, tell me if you're mad," Shen Lian said. "You don't have to help me ask His Highness Prince Xi for a favor—I can swallow my pride and go beg at his doorstep myself—but you have to tell me you're not angry, because I can't tell if I've upset someone or not."

"I'm not," Xie Yuan said. "But Lord Shen has gone from being my sworn brother, through thick and thin, to just a fair-weather friend, because Lord Shen isn't good enough to me."

"Nope, that doesn't work either. I still prefer being Dian Xia's sworn brother through thick and thin." Shen Lian slowly grabbed his wrist. "Come on, Dian Xia, let's go dig through those thousands of petitions together."

Xie Yuan pulled his arm back in surprise. "I was nice enough to let you off the hook, and you want to turn around and boss me around?"

"Yes," Shen Lian said without a hint of shame. "Today you have to come with me to the yamen."

Xie Yuan: "Are you insane? Why should I go along with you?"

"Because I'm worried you'll go home and brood over it," Shen Lian said.

Xie Yuan's eyes went blank for a second.

In that moment of distraction, the young physician grabbed his arm again and dragged him back to Lu Huaizhi's side.

"That's settled then—we're in this together, brothers!" Shen Lian also grabbed Lu Huaizhi's arm, trying to bring the two friends who were inexplicably at odds together hand-in-hand.

Completely caught off guard by Shen Lian's outrageous move.

The moment Xie Yuan's fingers touched Lu Huaizhi's sleeve, he snapped back to reality.

He snatched his hand back as if he'd touched dog shit, and Xie Yuan wiped his fingers on his robe, looking utterly disgusted.

Lu Huaizhi just rolled his eyes, totally unbothered.

Even Xie Yuan himself couldn't figure out why, but like a dog on a leash, he was dazedly dragged along by the young physician to the Tengxiang Guard's right battalion.

Lu Huaizhi quickly sent men to retrieve the thousands of filed petitions under the guise of an inspection, and gathered all his loyal men to search for cases related to Zhou Fuqing.

Only His Highness Prince Qi sat in the corner with his legs crossed, sipping tea without a care in the world.

Shen Lian, who had hauled a huge stack of petitions to sit beside the young male concubine, worked while whispering, "Dian Xia, why were you on my wall today? Did you come out of the manor specially to mooch a meal off me? My family's willow-shooting banquet isn't for a while yet."

"I came to have it out with you," Xie Yuan said, turning to stare at the young physician. "What kind of tonic did you prescribe me? Half a bowl and I was bleeding from the nose all morning? I'm ruined now—I was already frail to begin with, and now I can't do heavy labor for the rest of my life. Think about how you're going to compensate me, and make it quick."