Chapter 40: A Kiss

Chapter 40: A Peck on the Cheek

"So what brings the Second Young Master here this time?"

Xiao Quan, as the Chief Justice of the Grand Court, had always been unbending in his integrity. He was a straight shooter who didn't mince words, which is why few in government circles wanted anything to do with him.

He believed he'd reached his current position because of his unwavering loyalty to the Emperor.

In truth, it was because he was a lone wolf in the court—one who formed no factions, feared no powerful interests, and was a trusty blade in the Emperor's hand.

Although he was Cheng Lang's master, he'd rarely crossed paths with Cheng Yi, the notorious playboy. It was Cheng Lang who was always singing his little brother's praises.

Yet the brother Cheng Lang couldn't stop singing praises for was a far cry from his public reputation.

And now, this very person had come to him, the Chief Justice, twice on his own initiative.

People outside his circle avoided him like the plague; even high-ranking officials kept their guard up around him.

But this seventeen-year-old kid in front of him was the exception—he didn't show an ounce of fear, but instead had an unshakeable calm about him.

Xiao Quan couldn't help but be a little curious.

Cheng Yi didn't beat around the bush—he got straight to the point.

"So, Lord Xiao, how's the missing kids case coming along?"

Xiao Quan's brow furrowed, and his face darkened.

He was about to blow his top when Cheng Yi continued:

"Does Lord Xiao happen to know where Duan Hongguang from Liuyun Temple has gone?"

The second Xiao Quan heard the name Duan Hongguang, his face went pale.

This was intel the Court had just dug up, and the case wasn't closed yet, so no one outside could possibly know the details.

Now that Duan Hongguang, a key figure, had vanished, the whole case had ground to a halt. So for the last two days, the Court had been tearing the capital apart looking for Duan Hongguang.

"How do you know about Duan Hongguang? Did your big brother tell you?"

Xiao Quan's temper flared on the spot, and his voice went up without him even realizing it.

He figured his disciple was great in every way, except for one big mistake—spoiling this little brother of his.

Cheng Yi didn't get mad. "Lord Xiao, hold your horses. Take a look at this first."

Cheng Yi slid the stack of compiled testimonies across to him.

Xiao Quan was skeptical, but he forced himself to look through them patiently.

He wanted to see what this kid was really scheming.

Well, he looked, and boy was he in for a shock—the more he read, the more his heart raced, until he shot up from his seat, hands shaking as he clutched the papers.

"You... how the hell do you know all this? Who the hell are you..."

Xiao Quan was rattled and on edge.

Cheng Yi watched his eyes go wide, like he was about to lunge and eat him alive, but he stayed cool as a cucumber.

"Lord Xiao doesn't need to know that. I just want to ask you one question."

"Speak."

"Now that you know the truth and have the evidence in hand, what will you do next?"

Xiao Quan immediately said, all righteous and stern: "Naturally, I'll report this to His Majesty and ask him to deal with it fairly and throw the book at the culprits."

Cheng Yi let out a sneer.

"Fair and square?" Cheng Yi didn't even try to hide the mockery in his eyes. "Lord Xiao, what do you think His Majesty will actually do to the Third Prince?"

"Well, naturally..." Xiao Quan started, then froze.

If anyone else had committed crimes this monstrous, even death by a thousand cuts or being torn apart by horses wouldn't be too harsh. But if the person in question was a prince of the realm...

What popped into Xiao Quan's head instead was—a few years under house arrest in some imperial retreat or royal villa, or being exiled to some backwater to play king of the hill, or maybe a few years watching over the royal tombs...

After a few years of that, thanks to some merit he earned or some strings pulled by the people behind him, he'd be back in no time, and once again be a prince of the highest honor.

He didn't even dare to dream the Emperor would strip him of his title and make him a commoner—that would be way too harsh.

Xiao Quan fell silent.

Cheng Yi's lips curled into another sarcastic smirk.

"So what exactly are you getting at, Second Young Master?"

Cheng Yi said seriously: "I know Lord Xiao is an upright man who abhors evil. If I had a way to ensure the Third Prince's death, would Lord Xiao be willing to cooperate?"

Xiao Quan was immediately stunned. A seventeen-year-old kid, talking about wanting a prince dead—what kind of shocking declaration was that?

More importantly, what did he intend to do?

"What exactly is your purpose? What do you want me to do?"

Xiao Quan was both shocked and wary.

"Lord Xiao, don't be alarmed. I simply want the wicked to get what they deserve."

Xiao Quan clearly didn't believe him, but Cheng Yi indeed made no excessive demands.

He only asked him to wait.

Wait until the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, then present the evidence—and present it to the Emperor in front of all the civil and military officials.

Xiao Quan thought it over carefully. This would indeed force the Emperor to severely punish the Third Prince, though he'd inevitably incur the Emperor's wrath. But as long as he could seek justice for those two hundred-plus kids, even death would be worth it.

But...

"How can you guarantee the Third Prince will die for certain?"

Even if a prince committed a grave offense, he was still the Emperor's own son. The Emperor, no matter how furious, wouldn't have him killed on the spot. Moreover, while the Third Prince's crimes were an outrage to heaven and man, he'd found a convenient excuse—that he was refining elixirs for the Emperor. In the Emperor's eyes, this was an act of filial piety.

It wasn't that Xiao Quan didn't trust him; it was simply that in his position, he'd seen far too many such cases. Not to mention a prince of the realm—even ordinary nobles and aristocrats were never held to the same standard as commoners.

The longer he remained in this position, the clearer he saw it: the lives of ordinary people were nothing but weeds in the eyes of those in power.

Cheng Yi just gave a mysterious smile.

"That's where I'll need Lord Xiao's cooperation."

It wasn't until Cheng Yi had left that Xiao Quan finally snapped back to his senses, his mind reeling with shock and confusion.

When he saw Cheng Lang later, Xiao Quan's expression turned even more complicated, leaving Cheng Lang totally confused.

"You really do have a good younger brother. From now on, when something comes up, you should talk it over with him more."

Cheng Lang: "?"

What does that mean?

Hadn't he always looked down on his brother? Now he suddenly sees his worth?

So weird.

————

By the time he got back to the Marquis's estate, it was already dark—just in time for dinner.

Before heading home, Cheng Yi stopped by Duke Zhenguo's mansion to pick up his young husband, and used the chance to check on how Xie Yulin had been over the past two days.

Turns out he'd been unconscious for two days and woke up in that state. Nothing else unusual had happened.

Cheng Yi was relieved, but he still had Mo Zheng post men to keep a close watch.

Xie Yulin was never one to sit still. Now that he knew about his past life and couldn't get through to Cheng Yi, he'd probably try other angles.

Cheng Yi would never let him crawl out of that pit.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yi had gotten twenty thousand taels from his grandfather today and handed it all to Lu Zhun, to head south with Fang Qingbai.

He'd also arranged for shadow guards to tail Zhou Chu and Liu Siming. If he ever wanted to take over the Weiyuan Army down the line, Liu Siming would be the best pick.

So they needed to step up fast.

That evening, Cheng Yi brought Shadow before Shen Yichen and officially made him his personal guard.

He already had Mo Zheng, and he'd gradually tracked down the old shadow guards from years back, so Cheng Yi had plenty of people now. Shadow was top-notch and someone he trusted completely, so he could safely leave his young husband's protection to him.

Shen Yichen was a bit surprised, but not entirely.

Actually, he'd sensed someone secretly protecting him ever since he was at the Minister's residence.

In the days before their wedding, a few times he'd been about to use his spoon when the bowl got knocked over—someone had stepped in from the shadows.

Even though he was super careful, testing all his food with a silver needle, a lot of colorless, odorless poisons couldn't be caught that way.

One morning he woke up to find a few dead venomous snakes outside his window.

Stuff like that happened a few times, and he became sure someone was protecting him in secret.

He naturally figured Cheng Yi had sent someone, but he hadn't dared to confirm it. Now, it was finally confirmed.

Shen Yichen was grateful, and the way he looked at Cheng Yi grew hotter by the second.

"Thanks. You've saved me a few more times without me even knowing it."

Shen Yichen just draped himself over Cheng Yi, looping his arms around his neck.

He seemed hooked on being close. At first, he'd felt embarrassed, too shy to know what to do with himself, but once he took that first step, he got used to it fast, and soon he was hooked and getting bolder every day.

Like right now.

"Is that all the thanks I get?"

Cheng Yi wrapped an arm around his slim waist, looking down to meet his eyes.

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Call me 'husband.'"

"'Husband.'"

Shen Yichen did as he was told. He was already used to the title, so it came easily. He even raised an eyebrow at Cheng Yi, like, "That's it?"

But Cheng Yi pointed at his own cheek.

"Give me a kiss."

"Huh?"

Shen Yichen let out a startled yelp, his face turning bright red instantly.

"Th-this... I..."

"What, scared?"

Shen Yichen couldn't handle being provoked. Sure enough, he lifted his chin. "What's there to be scared of? If you want a kiss, you'll get one."

Wasn't he allowed to kiss his own husband?

He was kissing his own husband, after all.

So he went up on his tiptoes and planted a kiss right on Cheng Yi's chiseled cheek.

But unexpectedly, the moment he leaned in, Cheng Yi turned his head just a little.

The next second, their lips met.

The clear sensation made them both freeze, eyes wide, especially Shen Yichen, who stood there totally stunned.

He just stood there, staring blankly with wide eyes, frozen and unable to react.

The soft warmth, mixed with his young husband's unique scent, hit Cheng Yi's senses all at once.

He'd only meant to tease his young husband, but the second their lips touched, a wave of heat swept through him like a storm, almost blowing his reason.

After the initial shock, Shen Yichen tried to pull back, but the next second, his waist tightened as he was lifted slightly off the ground.

Seeing him try to escape, Cheng Yi instinctively hooked an arm around his waist, and his other hand naturally cupped the back of his young husband's head, holding him in place.

His body reacted before his mind could catch up. Cheng Yi bent down a little and kissed his sweet, soft young husband.

The moment their lips met, the flustered young husband unconsciously parted his lips, giving Cheng Yi the perfect opening.

The man in his arms stiffened suddenly, shoulders trembling. His instinctive struggle stopped short, long lashes fluttering in panic, and his bright black eyes went wide—like a startled fawn.

A little dazed, yet adorably cute and endearing.

Cheng Yi instinctively pried open his lips and tongue, drinking in the warmth of his mouth, moving purely on instinct, tangling their tongues together in an unrelenting tangle.

The man in his arms went so soft he could barely stand, dumping his whole weight onto him.

His response was so green, yet utterly intoxicating.

Cheng Yi couldn't stop kissing him, over and over, his little husband's cheeks flushing a visible crimson, his breathing growing faster and more ragged.

His lashes trembled like silk, and were even misted with a hazy layer of tears.

Cheng Yi's fingertips traced the soft hair at the nape of his neck, his arm around his waist squeezing tighter and tighter, as if he wanted to melt the man in his arms into himself.

Only when he felt the man's breathing go completely haywire and his whole body start to sway did Cheng Yi finally slow down.

But he still didn't let go of his lips, just switching to a soft, lingering nibble.

How could his little husband taste this good, making him unable to stop, even wanting to do way more to him?

"Mm-hmm..."

Shen Yichen finally couldn't take it anymore. He felt like he was suffocating, his body too weak to stand, so all he could do was thump his fists against the man's rock-hard chest.

In the huge room, all that was left was the two of them tangled together, breathing heavy.

After a long moment, Cheng Yi slowly pulled back a little, pressing his forehead to his little husband's, his low, raspy voice wrapped in scorching breath:

"Remember this—next time you thank me, do it like this."

Cheng Yi's voice was husky, and to Shen Yichen's ears, it was like a soft feather brushing over his skin, making him go weak all over in an instant, so he couldn't even meet his burning gaze.

That night, Cheng Yi ultimately did nothing more excessive, reason prevailing.

There would be plenty of time ahead, plenty of time...

In the blink of an eye, the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet arrived.

Cheng Jimo declined to attend again this year, so apart from him, the entire Cheng Yi family was to enter the palace this time.