Although Lu Xiao and Qian Jinye seemed to get along surprisingly well, investigating the case was still his top priority. He had to think of a way to temporarily get Qian Jinye out of the way.
Before he could even come up with a plan, a young servant rushed over, grabbed Qian Jinye, and pulled him away in a hurry. Perfect. That saved him the trouble.
“Brother Lu Xiao,” Chen Yue’er asked as soon as Qian Jinye was gone, “what exactly is going on between you and that Second Young Master? He seems quite attached to you. But according to our previous intelligence, he loathes anything related to the emperor. The people from Mingzhu Court are connected to the throne, so logically he should hate you to death.”
Lu Xiao’s gaze flickered evasively, clearly unwilling to answer.
Chen Yue’er sighed. She was not as dense as Li Xianguan. Of course she could tell something was off. Her expression said it all, married-off brothers were like spilled water; there was no getting them back. She stared at Lu Xiao, wordlessly demanding an honest explanation.
Realizing he couldn’t fool her, Lu Xiao sighed helplessly and gave a small, reluctant nod, confirming her guess, even though it wasn’t true.
Chen Yue’er gritted her teeth. “Do you even realize who he is? And who are you? You two only met today, didn’t you? Yet he’s already clinging to you like this. How are we supposed to continue investigating Miss Qian with him following you everywhere?”
Lu Xiao caught the subtle nuance in her words, she hadn’t outright objected. She was simply upset he hadn’t thought things through. That small detail gave him a flicker of secret joy.
To have one’s family’s approval was, after all, the greatest form of reassurance. And to him, Chen Yue’er and Li Xianguan were family. Their support mattered more than anyone else’s.
“Yue’er,” he said softly, “he’s not a bad person. In fact, he can tell us a lot of useful information. You yourself just said it, didn’t you?”
Since Chen Yue’er had used the pretext of the investigation to question his choices, Lu Xiao shrewdly used the same reason to justify them.
Li Xianguan might not be the brightest, but even he could understand what was being implied. When he was uncertain, he always looked at Chen Yue’er, and this time was no exception.
Perhaps genuinely startled by Lu Xiao’s confession, he blurted out, “You really are a fox spirit, huh? Lost your memory and suddenly found enlightenment too!”
His reward was a sharp jab in the ribs from Chen Yue’er.
Clearing her throat, she straightened her expression, signaling she was about to get serious.
Lu Xiao perked up and listened carefully. He had spent the entire day with Qian Jinye and hadn’t learned much, so now he could only rely on what the two of them had discovered.
“Our official reason for coming here is to investigate Miss Qian,” Chen Yue’er said, her tone measured, “but in truth, our mission is to uncover the emperor’s dark sorcery. In this regard, Young Master Qian is actually on the same side as us. What I said earlier was just for show, don’t hold it against me, Brother Lu Xiao.”
As she spoke, she casually turned her body in the direction of Master Qian.
The old man was holding the infant Miss Qian in his arms, surrounded by well-wishers offering blessings. His wrinkled face twisted into something between a grotesque smile and a delighted grin.
Despite his advanced age, his steps were nimble as he moved swiftly through the crowd of guests.
Chen Yue’er’s lips curved faintly, and Lu Xiao immediately understood.
The baby girl was just one month old yet far too quiet, while her father, well past sixty, walked as sprightly as a young man. Lu Xiao had seen this same unnatural contrast once before, inside the imperial palace.
“Master Qian’s elder sons were all born before His Majesty ascended the throne. By now, none of them are in the proper age range for offering sacrifices. But this newborn daughter arrived at the perfect time. With her birth, this seventy-year-old father seems to have regained his youth,” Chen Yue’er murmured.
Li Xianguan, though often silly in manner, possessed an extraordinary sharpness when it came to serious matters. He was an expert at mapping timelines and tracing family histories. Before they arrived, he had already dug through eighteen generations of the Qian family’s records.
Master Qian’s excessive affection for his daughter was not difficult to understand. On one hand, she was his late-born child, a miracle of old age; on the other, affection between father and daughter always ran deep.
But such emotions could never outmatch human greed. Wealth and power were easy to gain, but youth, once lost, was gone forever.
From the moment Miss Qian was born, her life was likely plagued by illness. She had never truly known good health.
Yet using a child’s life merely to retain one’s youth shouldn’t have been enough to draw the emperor’s personal interest or warrant sending them to investigate.
Unless… Master Qian had struck a special bargain with the dark god, one so tempting that even the emperor himself grew envious.
Two days and one night would be enough to uncover the truth.
Master Qian wandered toward them at last, still flushed from drink. Since they were imperial envoys, he dared not show any disrespect. He passed the baby to a servant, poured himself a cup of wine, and raised it toward them.
“Honored guests, it is truly my privilege to have you here to celebrate my little daughter’s first-month feast!” His laughter was bright, almost too bright.
They couldn’t refuse, so each raised their cup and took a polite sip. Master Qian, however, tilted his head back and drained him in one gulp, full of boisterous satisfaction.
It was clear he had already drunk plenty before coming over. Swaying slightly, he barely managed to stay on his feet.
Taking advantage of the moment, Li Xianguan deftly clipped a tiny wooden listening device onto Master Qian’s collar.
To cover the motion, he plucked a leaf from nearby and waved it at the servants, pretending he’d just noticed something. His craftsmanship was exquisite, the bug was so small it was practically invisible.
After Master Qian was led away, the banquet began to wind down. Guests departed one after another, leaving only those staying overnight to exchange pleasantries.
“Lu Xiao, my father’s drunk,” Qian Jinye said, now free from his hosting duties. Though he often acted airheaded around Lu Xiao, his social grace was impeccable, throughout the entire feast, not a single person had managed to make him drink more than a token sip.
Lu Xiao of course knew that his father was drunk, deliberately so, and right in front of them. He looked at Qian Jinye, puzzled. Surely, a grown man didn’t intend to go tend to his father like a dutiful little wife?
Qian Jinye, seeing his blank and clueless expression, smacked him lightly on the arm in mock irritation. “My father’s drunk, so I’m going to sleep in your room tonight. We should… get to know each other better, and afterward we can figure out how to match our stories when we talk to him.”
To Lu Xiao, who had lived with his womanizing roommate long enough, “sleeping in the same room” carried quite a different implication. Sharing a bed was rarely innocent.
Having a beauty in his arms was never unpleasant, but he had only just met Qian Jinye today. He didn’t want things to move that fast.
He hoped Qian Jinye would value himself a little more. After all, Lu Xiao knew he was not exactly a good man.
When Lu Xiao hesitated, fidgeting instead of agreeing, Qian Jinye frowned in confusion. “What’s with that look? It’s just one bed. I used to share one with my older brother all the time.”
To him, it was the simplest thing in the world. To Lu Xiao, it was anything but.
If it hadn’t been for his father’s insistence that he learn independence, Qian Jinye would never have given up the habit.
Now that his father wasn’t around to interfere, why was he acting so restrained? They had only just gotten closer, couldn’t he even indulge his little quirks anymore?
The truth was, Qian Jinye simply didn’t like sleeping alone. But in Lu Xiao’s head, everything had already turned into a swirling mess of indecent thoughts.
After thinking it through several times, Lu Xiao finally decided that tonight, he must act like a proper gentleman.
Sitting up straight, he faced Qian Jinye solemnly and said, “Qian Jinye, I know you’re a few years older than me, and we’re both men, so technically no one would lose out. But I still think you should value yourself more. Let’s not do this tonight, alright? I’m not ready yet.”
That sentence left Qian Jinye truly offended. He never would have expected Lu Xiao to be such a narrow-minded person. “What do you mean? Two men can’t even share a bed and chat a bit? My older brother never says no to me. You’re mine now, so how could you refuse me?”
Their relationship had grown close enough that they no longer spoke to each other like outsiders. Yet somehow, the more they communicated, the further apart their meanings drifted.
As Lu Xiao listened, his expression gradually turned complicated. So this was what Qian Jinye meant, he literally just wanted to lie under the same blanket and talk?
Feeling both frustrated and self-conscious, Lu Xiao cursed his own impure imagination. His boyfriend, it turned out, was adorably innocent. And somehow, that made him even more endearing.
Lu Xiao remembered that Qian Jinye liked it when he called him “gege.” Having been a younger brother for so many years, Qian Jinye found it hard to resist that sweet tone of address coming from someone he liked. Lu Xiao decided to take advantage of that weakness and smooth things over.
“Gege, I was being petty. You’ll forgive me, won’t you? How about I warm the bed for you? Tonight, gege, you can sleep in my bed. I’ll just take a little corner for myself, as long as I can be beside you, alright?” Lu Xiao said with his most charming smile, every word dripping with practiced sweetness.
How could Qian Jinye possibly resist that kind of coaxing? The little green-tea act melted all his irritation away. He let Lu Xiao take his hand and lead him back to the room without another word.
Li Xianguan and Chen Yue’er had long since left. Partly, it was because they needed to eavesdrop on Master Qian, but mostly, it was because watching these two lovestruck men had become unbearable.
They had no desire to witness another round of hand-holding as if their palms were glued together with honey.
The moment they entered the room, Lu Xiao shut the door with an exaggerated air of secrecy, a mischievous curve playing at his lips.
The oblivious little lamb beside him had no idea that he’d just walked into a wolf’s den. Qian Jinye was still quietly savoring the satisfaction of having won over his teasing “green tea.”
Despite his irreverence, Lu Xiao never forgot his real mission. Being close to Qian Jinye gave him a natural advantage, he could easily extract valuable information from him if he played things right.
He silently recited a Buddhist mantra to calm his thoughts, trying to banish every inappropriate image from his mind. Still, he reasoned, a little harmless flirting couldn’t hurt anyone.
He pulled Qian Jinye down to sit beside him, guiding him to lean against his shoulder. Reaching into the small tray on the table, he picked up a piece of sweet rice cake and held it up to Qian Jinye’s lips.
“I don’t eat childish things like that,” Qian Jinye said, wrinkling his nose. “It’s too sweet.”
Lu Xiao, momentarily deflated, muttered under his breath, “But it’s good…” and popped the rice cake into his own mouth instead.
Qian Jinye watched as he nibbled his way to the last bite, then, without warning, leaned forward and took the piece directly from Lu Xiao’s hand, his lips brushing against Lu Xiao’s fingertips. After swallowing, he licked the corner of his mouth and said casually, “Too cloying.”
Lu Xiao froze. His fingertips still carried a faint warmth from that fleeting touch. He bit his lip, half-convinced that Qian Jinye was a secret agent sent by his family to torment him.
How could a man be so effortlessly tempting? He tells me no, then turns around and acts like that.
He cleared his throat and forced himself back into professional mode, desperately trying to recall what he had meant to ask before his thoughts derailed completely.
“Jinye, your little sister… is she unwell?” he asked cautiously.
“Call me gege.” Qian Jinye fixed him with a look.
Lu Xiao, realizing he’d walked right into the trap he’d set for himself, nearly groaned aloud. Still, he’d started this act and now he had to see it through. To keep the older man’s favor, he had no choice but to play along.
“Ahem… gege, can I ask now?”
Qian Jinye nodded, clearly satisfied, but still didn’t speak. Instead, he gave Lu Xiao a cunning smile. “You’re not here just for that damned emperor, are you?”
Lu Xiao was genuinely taken aback. He hadn’t expected Qian Jinye to see through them so easily, and a flicker of admiration crossed his eyes.
“Smart. You’re right,” he admitted. “We’re not here for that dog of an emperor.”
Somewhere far away, the man seated upon the dragon throne would never imagine that his own dear younger brother would sell him out so readily, all for the sake of a newly acquired lover.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · The beginning of the tragedyChapter 2 · Don’t forgetChapter 3 · Look at it directlyChapter 4 · Whom are you trying to seduce?Chapter 5 · TeaseChapter 6 · Sleeping in the same bedChapter 7 · Internal locksChapter 8 · Tampering The rules…Chapter 9 · Black LotusChapter 10 · FledglingChapter 11 · There are no horses in the stable.Chapter 12 · Water-oil separationChapter 13 · The cost of backtrackingChapter 14 · It got biggerChapter 15 · Was it a mouse?Chapter 16 · Too fieryChapter 17 · Administer medicineChapter 18 · Tracing the PearlChapter 19 · A KissChapter 20 · Ge, Kiss meChapter 21 · Ten Thousand Deaths Without RegretChapter 22 · Endless CorridorChapter 23 · CowardChapter 24 · GoodbyeChapter 25 · Back toChapter 26 · It’s is me, Not MeChapter 27 · VictimChapter 28 · Crossed CupsChapter 29 · IntuitionChapter 30 · ChangeChapter 31 · DifferentChapter 32 · ErrorChapter 33 · Mind Your Own BusinessChapter 34 · WanderingChapter 35 · EmbraceChapter 36 · LoveChapter 37 · UnrestrainedChapter 38 · Asking Over a DrinkChapter 39 · As BeforeChapter 40 · SatiatedChapter 41 · A Change in the WindsChapter 42 · A’SuChapter 43 · Welcoming the BrideChapter 44 · GossipChapter 45 · WeaknessChapter 46 · Wedding NightChapter 47 · Brother QingChapter 48 · FadingChapter 49 · Lying LowChapter 50 · CaressChapter 51 · OnceChapter 52 · The Hidden PassageChapter 53 · MotherChapter 54 · FlawlessChapter 55 · ProphecyChapter 56 · EtherealChapter 57 · DecipheringChapter 58 · The TrapChapter 59 · Stone StatueChapter 60 · ChessChapter 61 · AssassinsChapter 62 · The National Preceptor?Chapter 63 · Please return my belongings to me.Chapter 64 · I’m not that desperate.Chapter 65 · No wayChapter 66 · No turning backChapter 67 · I told you, get out of the wayChapter 68 · Still became a monsterChapter 69 · Let’s end thisChapter 70 · Why do you look so much like him?Chapter 71 · One wanted to kill, two stopped himChapter 72 · Unless, the people at Mingzhu Academy are keeping it from himChapter 73 · FraudChapter 74 · Don’t look back, Lu XiaoChapter 75 · It’s coldChapter 76 · Kill MeChapter 77 · We are even marriedChapter 78 · Gege… I Love YouChapter 79 · “It” had arrivedChapter 80 · Wake Up!Chapter 81 · How Nostalgic….Chapter 82 · You already Promised meChapter 83 · Their TerritoryChapter 84 · Jokes were JokesChapter 85 · What you dream was realChapter 86 · Did you cry?Chapter 87 · What’s wrong, young Master?Chapter 88 · No, I only ever said it to youChapter 89 · Honey, Please let me go.Chapter 90 · What are you pretending to be, a gentleman?Chapter 91 · It’s just a shoddy trick to fool people, but I like it anywayChapter 92 · Ge, I did it voluntarily, it’s no useChapter 93 · You little BratChapter 94 · Gege~ please have mercyChapter 95 · Hearing Lu Xiao come in, he patted the seat next to himChapter 96 · Stop fooling around, let me kiss youChapter 97 · “I want…” “Want what?”Chapter 98 · Gege, watch closely how I get youChapter 99 · Little Eleven, how about we talk to ‘it’ first?Chapter 100 · Had it gone mad?Chapter 101 · I will make my decisionChapter 102 · Tsk, how indecentChapter 103 · You are the creator of my original worldChapter 104 · The world is not your toy, go back to where you came fromChapter 105 · He was a boy with snow-white hair and a handsome faceChapter 106 · Haven’t seen you for a long timeChapter 107 · TYRBL Extra: 1Chapter 108 · TYRBL Extra: 2Chapter 109 · TYRBL Extra: 3Chapter 110 · TYRBL Extra: 4