The grand, lavish restaurant was bustling with noise. In a private room on the second floor, several young noble playboys raised their cups, drinking and laughing together.
“Brother Si, today was so satisfying! We have to celebrate properly!”
A young man dressed in luxurious brocade robes raised his wine cup toward the youth slumped over the table, clearly trying to avoid being forced to drink.
The youth had silky black hair, delicate brows and eyes, fair skin, and bright red lips. If they hadn’t all bathed together when they were younger, they might have mistaken him for a girl.
The youth sighed helplessly, burying his face inside the wide sleeve of his robe.
Her name was Si Nan.
She was the daughter of Si Gongzhen, the Grand General of the Qian Kingdom.
Her father was a legendary commander who had served in the army for thirty years without ever losing a battle. Beloved by the people and respected throughout the nation, his achievements had grown so great that they overshadowed even the emperor himself.
Emperor Xiahou Yuan, wary of the general’s influence yet unwilling to openly offend such a loyal subject, came up with what he considered the perfect solution. He stationed Si Gongzhen permanently at the northern frontier to guard the borders, forbidding him from returning to the capital without an imperial decree.
Meanwhile, Si Nan and her mother were kept in the vast capital city, unable to leave.
Though her friends were notorious troublemakers, they were kind-hearted beneath the surface. Despite being born into noble families, they were nothing like the other aristocrats who treated ordinary lives as worthless.
That was why she had remained friends with them all these years.
As for the bathing together…
Well…
She had arranged that herself.
Her father had long anticipated the current situation. When she was born, he deliberately announced that she was a son, hoping that if the imperial court ever kept one of his children in the capital as a political hostage, the family’s position would remain secure.
As she grew older, however, her feminine features gradually became impossible to hide.
To eliminate everyone’s suspicions, she devised a plan.
After inviting Wen Xuan, Jiang Ziping, Liu Xiahui, and Zhou Yu to her home and getting them thoroughly drunk, she secretly had her twin brother put on her clothes and bathe with them instead.
To make the deception convincing, she even hired singing girls to perform music during the bath, creating enough scandal to ensure everyone believed what they saw.
The result was a severe beating from her father.
Of course…
It was only for show.
Her father had always adored her. Every time he returned from the battlefield, he brought her strange little gifts and had never once refused any request she made.
Except…
Except on the night the imperial edict arrived ordering him to depart immediately.
She had cried, begging him to leave her eldest brother behind and take her with him instead.
Her father gently stroked her head, his expression heavy.
“The northern frontier is cold and dangerous. You mustn’t suffer there.”
“But Father, if it’s so dangerous, then Elder Brother shouldn’t go either! If anything happens to him, the Si family line will end!”
“A man should stand tall beneath heaven,” her father replied. “He should venture forth and fight for what he believes in. The sons of the Si family should do no less. Nan’er… you must take good care of your mother.”
To avoid attracting the emperor’s suspicion, Si Nan had become an even more outrageous wastrel.
Stealing chickens, sneaking around, visiting pleasure houses, fighting crickets…
There was hardly any mischief she hadn’t committed.
Eventually, the emperor stopped sending spies to watch her.
Only the emperor’s favorite son, the Third Prince Xiahou Jin, continued to make life difficult for her.
Fortunately, she and her friends had just secretly set fire to the Third Prince’s treasury today.
The man was probably far too busy dealing with the aftermath to come looking for trouble.
“I’ve hated that arrogant, aloof look on his face since we were children,” one of them grumbled. “He’s only better than us because he was born into the imperial family. He acts like everyone else is beneath him!”
“Hahaha! We covered our tracks perfectly this time. There’s no way anyone will trace it back to us!”
“Drink! Drink!”
“Si Nan, don’t think you’re getting away this time. You’re drinking until you’re completely wasted!”
Si Nan lifted her face helplessly.
“You all are… really optimistic…”
“What do you mean by that? Don’t jinx us!”
“Wen Xuan’s right! Just relax. With our skills, we were as quiet as ghosts.”
“If you don’t drink, you’re no brother of ours!”
Unable to withstand their relentless pestering, she reluctantly raised her wine cup.
“…Fine.”
“That’s more like it! We grew up together. We share the burdens—and the wine!”
“Come! Let’s celebrate the first time we’ve successfully gotten back at the Third Prince!”
“In the past, because His Majesty favored him, we always had to swallow our anger. But I heard the Third Prince had a huge argument with the Emperor in the imperial study today. His Majesty was so furious he even slapped him! The Emperor has never lost his temper like that before. The prince must have crossed a serious line. I bet he’s finally falling out of favor!”
Three cups of wine later, her head spun violently.
She slumped onto the table and drifted into unconsciousness.
“Hm? Si Nan?”
“No way… that’s all it takes to knock him out?”
“Hahaha! What kind of man can’t even hold his liquor? When he wakes up, I’m going to laugh at him for three whole days!”
“So that’s why he never drinks no matter how much we pressure him. He’s just terrible at it! Men’s pride really is fragile!”
“Come on, let’s keep drinking!”
…
My head…
So dizzy…
Her consciousness slowly returned.
Supporting herself with difficulty, Si Nan lifted her upper body and found all of her friends sprawled across the table, completely passed out.
How long had she been asleep?
Footsteps approached outside.
The door swung open.
A tall man with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and an imposing figure entered. His features were strikingly handsome, his bearing cold and distant.
Si Nan blinked several times.
He looked… strangely familiar.
But in her drunken haze, she couldn’t remember who he was.
Xiahou Jin entered with an air of natural authority.
Behind him, the guards all lowered their heads, terrified of being caught in the coming storm.
Every one of the young men’s families held tremendous influence in court.
But this time…
They had gone far too far.
They had actually sneaked into the Third Prince’s residence and wreaked havoc.
The Third Prince was genuinely furious.
These young masters were in serious trouble.
The moment Xiahou Jin entered, his gaze landed on Si Nan, whose cheeks were flushed bright red and whose eyes were hazy with intoxication.
He frowned deeply.
General Si was a man of impeccable integrity, disciplined, righteous, and admired throughout the realm.
How had his son turned into such an incorrigible wastrel?
It was a disgrace to the General’s reputation.
The others could be dealt with later.
As for Si Nan…
Xiahou Jin walked over and stopped in front of him.
With such excellent blood running through his veins, he refused to believe Si Nan couldn’t still be straightened out.
Looking down at the unsteady youth, he caught the faint scent of alcohol.
Unlike the overwhelming stench surrounding everyone else, Si Nan carried only the light fragrance of someone who had barely drunk at all.
Just a little wine had left him like this?
Xiahou Jin wasn’t sure whether to be angry or amused.
The young man struggled to his feet, squinting as he stumbled forward—
—and promptly fell straight into Xiahou Jin’s arms.
Xiahou Jin narrowed his phoenix-like eyes.
The fragrance lingering on Si Nan was unexpectedly pleasant.
Though he normally disliked perfumes and scented powders, he found himself momentarily distracted.
He disliked physical contact.
Instinctively, he reached out and pushed Si Nan away.
The youth looked puzzled.
“Huh…?”
Tilting his head upward, he stared innocently at him.
For the first time, their eyes met without hostility.
Those round eyes sparkled brilliantly despite the drunken haze. Long lashes fluttered like tiny fans, framing a palm-sized oval face so innocent it stirred unexpected sympathy.
Before Xiahou Jin realized it, he heard the youth mumble softly,
“You’re… so handsome… Mmm… my head hurts…”
The next moment, carrying the fresh scent of pear blossoms mixed with faint wine, Si Nan threw himself back into Xiahou Jin’s embrace.
This time, he clung even tighter.
His pale, slender hand rested against Xiahou Jin’s chest, absentmindedly brushing over it again and again.
His soft fingers barely grazed him, yet each touch sent an inexplicable itch through Xiahou Jin’s chest… and somehow, through his heart.
To his own astonishment…
He simply allowed it.
The shadow guards behind them were so shocked they forgot to blink.
His Highness…
Hadn’t pushed him away?
Could it be…
Had all those years of “finding fault” with Young Master Si actually been the prince’s way of attracting his attention?
Xiahou Jin shot them a cold glance.
The warning was unmistakable.
The guards instantly lowered their eyes, daring not to look again.
Only then did Xiahou Jin snap back to his senses.
What was wrong with him today?
He reached out to remove the drunk from his arms.
But having already been pushed away once, Si Nan reacted immediately.
Both arms wrapped around Xiahou Jin’s waist, hugging him tightly.
“You’re… so handsome, little gentleman…” he slurred. “Are you… married…?”
“…Will you… be my wife…?”
Then his expression turned adorably confused.
“…I feel like… I’ve said that… to another pretty boy… before…”
Xiahou Jin replied coolly, tinged with exasperation,
“You’re completely drunk.”
He had said those exact words to him when they were children.
But afterward…
He had forgotten all about it and treated Xiahou Jin as though he were his sworn enemy.
Only now, while drunk, had he remembered.
“Let go.”
“What kind of behavior is this?”
The face pressed against his chest rubbed lightly against him like an affectionate kitten.
In an instant, all the icy sternness Xiahou Jin had carefully maintained melted away.
It was an incredibly delicate gesture for a young man.
Ordinarily, he would have found it unbearable.
Instead…
He only thought Si Nan looked pitifully adorable.
Perhaps…
He, too, had become intoxicated by the wine filling the room.
The body in his arms was astonishingly soft and slender.
He had never held anyone this close before, but even so, he could clearly tell how different Si Nan’s physique was from his own.
Had Si Nan…
Been living such a difficult life?
Sensing his attitude soften, Si Nan finally loosened his grip around Xiahou Jin’s waist.
For one strange moment…
Xiahou Jin felt inexplicably empty.
Then, in the next instant—
Two soft arms looped around his neck.
The innocent little face, carrying the scent of wine and pear blossoms, suddenly drew close.
Normally famous for his composure, Xiahou Jin was caught completely off guard.
He staggered backward, barely managing to sit on a nearby stool before the two of them toppled over together.
The commotion was impossible to ignore.
Every guard outside visibly trembled, forcing themselves not to look.
Even so…
Their peripheral vision had already caught enough.
Each of them stood frozen in disbelief.
This was…
…rather intense.
“Get out.”
One low, furious command from their master sent them scrambling from the room without a second’s hesitation.
Xiahou Jin’s brows remained tightly knit.
The drunken nuisance in his arms clung to him stubbornly, impossible to pry off.
“Get up. I’ll take you home.”
A sweet, drowsy voice mumbled against his shoulder.
“No… My head hurts… I don’t want to move… Don’t make me move…”
“No.”
“You have to get up.”
The little head shifted.
Without warning, it buried itself into the crook of Xiahou Jin’s neck.
His dark eyes widened.
Soft, smooth skin brushed against his throat like silk, sending warmth spreading across his neck and making his breathing falter.
“You’re… so fragrant…”
“…Is that… snow-plum incense…?”
“…I really like it…”
“…Can you tell me… what’s in your sachet…?”
As the drunk spoke, each warm breath brushed lightly against the sensitive skin of Xiahou Jin’s neck.
His back tensed involuntarily.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady himself.
“Si. Nan.”
“Get up.”
But Si Nan’s head was spinning too much to realize just how outrageous her behavior had become.
Hearing the handsome man insist that she move, she let out a disgruntled little huff.
She was perfectly comfortable sitting where she was.
Why should she get up?