By the time Xie Shiguan returned to the mansion, it was already late at night. The lights inside and outside the mansion were all extinguished. He dismissed his attendants and walked alone under the corridor.

The night sky, dyed with cold ink, occasionally revealed glimpses of moonlight. The night wind swept up snowflakes, occasionally brushing against Xie Shiguan’s dark purple official robe, slightly dampening the hem of his garment.

He didn’t avoid the snow; instead, he savored the scent of winter snow as he leisurely walked towards his sleeping quarters.

But as he passed by the small courtyard next to the sleeping quarters, Xie Shiguan suddenly sensed something unusual.

There was light—

Why was there a light in Shen Que’s courtyard in the middle of the night?

The faint light was barely noticeable. If it weren’t for the prince’s excellent night vision, it would have been almost impossible to spot.

He slowly approached the small courtyard, his footsteps silent on the snow. Through the ebony flower window embedded in the courtyard wall, the prince vaguely saw a figure.

There was no lamp lit in the courtyard; the light came from a charcoal stove. On the stove was a large tin kettle, with steam continuously rising from its spout.

The figure bent slightly, carrying a bucket of water into the house.

Xie Shiguan gracefully vaulted over the wall, then used the water tank by the house to leap onto the roof. This series of actions was executed seamlessly by the prince, and the faint sound of his landing on the tiles was immediately drowned out by the wind.

Once steady, the prince crouched down, using his index and middle fingers to deftly lift half a tile, peering through the gap with interest at the person inside the house.

In the dead of winter, in the middle of the night, what was this little mute doing boiling water in the courtyard?

Just as he was puzzled, he suddenly saw the person below unexpectedly remove their outer robe, followed by their short shirt, then their middle garment, inner garment, and lower clothing.

So, it was to wash up… But he still didn’t quite understand. There was a bathhouse in the prince’s mansion, specifically for the attendants and guards. Shen Que was the highest-ranking guard by his side, apart from Shen Xiangzhi. He could bathe in the bathhouse and have servants attend to him. Why bother with the trouble of boiling water repeatedly in the courtyard?

While others might be anxious when peeping, Xie Shiguan remained composed. He watched as Shen Que stripped completely, not averting his gaze in the slightest.

Shen Que’s skin wasn’t particularly fair, with only a thin layer of muscle beneath, looking tough and not to the prince’s taste.

Xie Shiguan did have a fondness for handsome men, but he always preferred those who were delicate and pretty, whether in body or temperament, everything had to be soft.

The prince watched without a hint of embarrassment as Shen Que washed from his upper body to his lower body. The whip marks on his back had scabbed over, resembling splattered thick ink, making one feel a bit itchy.

Seeing the little mute bend down to wash his calves, he seemed to pull at the wound on his back, pausing for a moment before placing his foot on a chair.

What was that…?

Even the well-informed Prince Yan was momentarily stunned. Inside the room, only two short candles were lit by the table, dimly illuminating a small area.

At first, Xie Shiguan thought he was mistaken. But the visibility inside was too low, so he squinted his eyes, almost straining them, until he finally saw clearly.

He wasn’t mistaken.

Shen Que’s body was indeed different from ordinary people.

No wonder… No wonder he had been aloof since childhood, never mingling with others in the mansion. Xie Shiguan had always thought he was just naturally solitary, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Xie Shiguan’s gaze deepened, staring meaningfully at the half-lit side profile of the person inside the room.

Shen Que had served him closely for over ten years, and he hadn’t noticed a thing.

At that moment, a gust of wind suddenly pushed away the dark clouds, briefly revealing half a moon. The cold moonlight fell, passing through the lifted half-tile.

Below, Shen Que seemed to sense something, suddenly looking up at the beam.

Although Xie Shiguan quickly closed the tile, Shen Que still saw him.

Shen Que’s heart raced, and the first thought that jumped into his mind was to rush out and catch the person. Unfortunately, he was stark naked and could only fume inside the room.

After hurriedly putting on a set of clean clothes, Shen Que immediately pushed the door open to investigate.

In the time he delayed, the thief on the roof had long disappeared. Shen Que, with his heart pounding, searched the small courtyard thoroughly, only finding a trail in the snow that had been deliberately obscured by footprints.

Even the footprints were dealt with, indicating the person was confident he wouldn’t dare chase after them naked.

He must have seen everything, Shen Que thought in frustration. How could he not have noticed earlier?

This person could come and go freely in the inner mansion and was trained in martial arts. If not a death warrior raised by the prince, then he was likely a guard like himself. He remembered there were a few maidservants skilled in martial arts by the prince’s side. Shen Que hadn’t sparred with them, so he didn’t know their skill level, but he guessed they weren’t weak.

What to do?

No matter who it was, if they revealed his secret to the prince, what would the prince do to him?

He couldn’t help but recall a very pretty little slave in the inner mansion who was favored by the prince for a while. Unfortunately, his glory was short-lived. He was careless and got kicked by a runaway horse, and although he survived, his leg was crippled.

Just a crippled leg, and Xie Shiguan had Shen Xiangzhi send him away.

And he, having been Xie Shiguan’s right-hand man for so many years, knowing too many of the prince’s secrets, would likely not even have the chance to be sent away.

He would die.

He definitely would.

After so many years of risking his life for Prince Yan, surviving death multiple times, Shen Que was no longer afraid of dying. But he feared Xie Shiguan would look at him with that gaze, as if he were a monster.

He didn’t care how others saw him, but Xie Shiguan…

The prince, his highness.

He was terrified, standing in the snow, trembling slightly, his cheeks and lips losing color, looking even more fragile than the day he was punished.

*

The next day, the sky cleared.

Shen Que tossed and turned in bed all night, unable to sleep. In his imagination, the informant revealed his secret a thousand times, and Xie Shiguan killed him a thousand times.

So when he was suddenly summoned by the prince at dawn, Shen Que almost lost control of his legs.

“Did the prince say what he wanted me for?” Shen Que gestured to the unfamiliar servant.

The servant, with a cold gaze, shook his head when he saw Shen Que gesturing, “Don’t gesture, I can’t understand—The prince just ordered me to bring you over, nothing else.”

He couldn’t read sign language, but he inadvertently answered Shen Que’s question.

So Shen Que had no choice but to put on his outer robe and follow the servant, his heart in his throat, into Prince Yan’s sleeping quarters.

Inside, the incense burner was lit, with a strong scent of agarwood mixed with musk, a familiar soft woody fragrance to Shen Que, making one feel lazy.

But now, Shen Que couldn’t relax at all. The closer he got, the faster his heart beat. When he finally saw Xie Shiguan’s figure, Shen Que feared his heart would leap out of his throat.

Perhaps in the next moment, the prince would order his clothes stripped, exposing his secret defect to all.

Just the thought made him feel like crying.

Meanwhile, the prince, surrounded by a group of maidservants helping him dress, suddenly turned his head. His gaze lingered on Shen Que for a moment, and he said calmly, “Shen Que.”

Shen Que was pulled back from his nightmare by that call.

He gestured, “Your Highness.”

“Why are you standing there dumbfounded? After resting for a few days, have you forgotten how to serve?”

Shen Que quickly stepped forward, taking the jade belt from a maidservant’s hand and skillfully tying it around Xie Shiguan’s waist.

He lowered his head and bent over behind the prince. When the prince turned his head, he saw the top of Shen Que’s head, his black hair gleaming like silk under the bright candlelight, followed by his reddened ear tips.

Xie Shiguan, with a mischievous intent, suddenly reached out to touch his earlobe with his fingertip. Shen Que was startled, looking at Xie Shiguan in surprise.

The prince, unfazed, said, “Your ears look very hot.”

Shen Que quickly reached up to touch his ears, indeed finding them burning. He gestured rapidly, “It’s probably the heat from the floor dragon in the hall.”

Xie Shiguan just smiled without saying anything.

The next moment, Shen Xiangzhi lightly knocked on the door frame, reminding, “Your Highness, the sedan is ready.”

So Xie Shiguan moved forward, pausing as he passed Shen Que, asking knowingly, “Are your injuries healed?”

Shen Que quickly nodded.

“If they’re healed, you’ll accompany me to the court meeting today.”

Even after escorting Xie Shiguan down the long steps, Shen Que was still pondering his words. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t see any difference in the prince from usual.

At most, he spoke a few more words to him, without a hint of unfamiliarity from not seeing each other for days.

It seemed the thief hadn’t reported the matter to the prince yet.

Despite reaching this conclusion, Shen Que still couldn’t relax. The thief hadn’t exposed him yet, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t in the future. He didn’t know the thief’s identity, but the thief knew everything about him.

The thief’s existence was like a bomb, hidden somewhere, while he was surrounded by fire, unable to move.

He looked up at the sky above the imperial city, the clouds had cleared, the sky was a bright blue, but the sun was still dazzling.

And Xie Shiguan, in his dark purple court attire, ascended the steps, tall and straight like a pine, more striking than anyone else.

He would rather die than let Xie Shiguan know about his unspeakable secret.