The Jinluan Hall was bustling with noise, and it was unclear what had happened. Shen Que, waiting at the bottom of the long steps, looked up eagerly but didn’t see any sign of his Highness. Just then, a familiar young eunuch came out from the side of the hall. Shen Que and Shiyi quickly followed and caught up with him to ask questions.

This young eunuch was under An Gonggong, who served the Emperor. Although he didn’t recognize Shiyi, he did recognize Shen Que, who often accompanied the King of Yan.

The personal guards of the Yan Prince Residence all held ranks, with the lowest being a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of War. However, Shen Que, due to his slave status, was not even considered a commoner. The process to remove his slave status was complicated, and it was impossible for the Prince to go through the trouble for him, so the matter had been delayed.

But the young eunuch looked at him and still respectfully addressed him, “Greetings, Master Shen. What brings you to seek this servant?”

Shen Que gestured with his hand, and Shiyi translated in a low voice, “What happened inside?”

The eunuch thought for a moment, pulled Shen Que aside, and whispered, “The Emperor just got very angry, throwing a few memorials and tea cups.”

He then showed Shen Que a wooden tray filled with broken porcelain pieces, speaking with a hint of regret, “Look—it’s a top-quality Jian ware.”

Shen Que didn’t even glance at the tray, urgently signing, “Is this related to the Prince?”

He gestured, and Shiyi spoke for him.

“It’s all because of the King of Yan.”

Shen Que’s heart jumped to his throat, but before he could ask why, the young eunuch continued, “But the Emperor’s anger wasn’t directed at the Prince; it was aimed at the Imperial Censor, accusing him of being incompetent and slandering loyal ministers, and he wants to dismiss him.”

Hearing this, Shen Que finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The young eunuch smiled at Shen Que, his eyes gleaming with mischief, “The Vice Minister is a supporter of the imprisoned Qu Cheng, always at odds with the King of Yan. If he’s dismissed, it saves the Prince from an eyesore—this servant is of little importance, and that’s all I know.”

Shen Que, understanding the situation, discreetly took out a money pouch from his waist and placed the heavy bag of silver into the eunuch’s tray, “A small token, please accept it with a smile, Gonggong.”

This didn’t need Shiyi to translate; the young eunuch beamed and didn’t refuse, only saying, “Both my master and I are on the Prince’s side, so we won’t let anything happen to him without reason. Please rest assured, Master Shen.”

As they descended the steps, Shiyi couldn’t help but ask, “How much silver did you give him just now?”

“Fifty taels,” Shen Que replied calmly.

“Fifty taels?” Shiyi was stunned, then exclaimed in distress, “Your monthly salary is only sixteen taels, how could you bear to give that much?”

Shen Que was unfazed, “Friendship is friendship, but if you don’t spend some silver, next time something happens, he might keep it to himself and not say anything.”

Shiyi was silent for a while, then sighed without context, “You are truly loyal.”

In the years Shen Que had been in the residence, he never complained about the food in the dining hall. When colleagues occasionally gathered to play cards, he never joined. He wore official robes all year round, only being half-forced by Shen Luo to get a new set of clothes during the holidays.

Shiyi had always thought he was frugal, saving money to buy a big house in the future, marry a virtuous wife, and have children.

Who knew he was diligently saving money to contribute to the public, and with his personality, he would never ask the Prince for compensation if he spent his own money.

*

At night.

Shen Que was ordered to deliver a letter to the post station and handle some matters in the suburbs. By the time he hurried back, it was already the second watch of the night.

He happened to meet Shen Luo outside the hall and quickly asked, “Has the Prince gone to bed?”

Shen Luo, who had known him for many years, understood his quick hand gestures immediately, “Not yet, he was just looking for you. He sent the maids to heat water, asking you to go in and assist with the bath.”

Shen Que’s heart tightened.

The bathhouse in the Prince’s residence was located in the back hall, and the door was slightly ajar, with a warm candlelight spilling through the crack.

Shen Que carefully slipped inside, and as the door creaked softly, a familiar male voice came from within, “You’re back?”

Though he couldn’t speak, Shen Que dared not remain silent, so he forced out a sound, “Mm,” as a response.

Passing through the four screens of Shu brocade, Shen Que reached the edge of the pool, took the comb and brush from the maid’s tray, and knelt by the pool to groom Xie Shiguan, who was half-submerged in the water.

Shen Que was nervous. Although he was the Prince’s personal attendant, tasks like bathing were usually left to the maids and old women, as the Prince found their hands too clumsy.

Xie Shiguan, with his back to him, didn’t speak after that initial greeting.

Halfway through grooming the long hair, the person in front of him suddenly moved, startling Shen Que. Fearing he had hurt the Prince with his clumsy hands, he quickly placed the comb on his knee and urgently signed, “Forgive me, Your Highness.”

Unexpectedly, Xie Shiguan showed no sign of anger, only smiling at him, “After the morning court today, His Majesty invited me for breakfast and mentioned you through An Fengde’s young eunuch.”

Seeing Xie Shiguan turn his head, Shen Que lowered his head and signed, “I do have some acquaintance with him.”

Xie Shiguan’s tone was ambiguous, “These eunuchs are often proud and eccentric. Even Shen Xiangzhi only meets with obstacles, yet you seem to be well-liked by these rootless eunuchs.”

Shen Que was a bit puzzled, but the eunuchs in the palace indeed treated him well. Some of the powerful eunuchs, known for their arrogance, were also warm towards him.

Perhaps they saw his physical disability and felt a sense of sympathy.

So he lowered his head, humbly signing, “They respect the Prince, so they look favorably upon me.”

“No need for flattery,” Xie Shiguan smiled again, then paused, “Why are you lowering your head? I’m just chatting with you, why do you look like you’re being interrogated?”

Shen Que dared not raise his eyes, only signing, “Please calm your anger, Your Highness.”

Xie Shiguan reached out, lifting his chin, drawing closer, “Do you know the rules for my bath?”

Shen Que was forced to look up, but still kept his eyes downcast, shaking his head lightly, his heart inexplicably racing.

Amidst the steam, Shen Que glimpsed Xie Shiguan’s amber-brown phoenix eyes, thick eyebrows, long lashes, slightly high brow bones, and a high nose bridge, exuding an indescribable exotic charm.

Then those thin lips parted, speaking again, “Come down.”

Shen Que stared at him blankly.

“I said, get in the water,” Xie Shiguan said, “You can’t speak, are you deaf too?”

Shen Que’s heart skipped a beat, a cold sweat running down his back.

He knew his body was flawed, and if he undressed and entered the water, the Prince would surely discover his secret.

Inappropriately, he recalled the beautiful little slave who had been expelled from the residence. That was just a leg injury, which could heal with proper care, yet the Prince couldn’t tolerate it. How could he, with a body born this way, ever hope to be accepted?

But Xie Shiguan just stared at him calmly, leaving him no excuse or courage to refuse.

Shen Que, with a heavy heart, finally began to reluctantly remove his outer robe.

Xie Shiguan waited patiently for a while, but seeing him take so long to remove just the outer robe, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Shen Que knew this meant the Prince was growing impatient.

“I thought you weren’t one to dawdle, why are you so hesitant today?” Xie Shiguan leaned in slightly, speaking near his ear, “Do you need me to help you undress?”

Shen Que was startled, quickly signing, “I wouldn’t dare!”

“It’s just that my status is low, and this is the Prince’s bath. I’m afraid of dirtying the water.”

Xie Shiguan said nothing, just looked at him, then his lips curved slightly, a hint of amusement on his face.

Suddenly, he grabbed Shen Que’s ankle and pulled him into the water.

Shen Que, though somewhat familiar with water, wasn’t very good at it. Being pulled in headfirst, he swallowed several mouthfuls of water and couldn’t stand up.

The Prince then stepped forward, grabbing his collar with one hand and holding him with the other.

Shen Que’s chest was flat, no different from an average male, but holding him felt unexpectedly soft.

As Shen Que caught his breath, he realized he was being held by the Prince. He didn’t dare to pry the Prince’s arm away, so he turned his head, looking at Xie Shiguan with wet eyes.

It was a pleading look.

Xie Shiguan’s heart skipped a beat, finding an unexpected allure in him.

The Prince didn’t let go, openly staring at him. This person seemed to hide all his flesh somewhere, appearing thin and weak, yet feeling quite good to hold.

Shen Que shivered slightly, lowering his head, almost burying it in the water.

Seeing his embarrassment, Xie Shiguan finally released him, not forgetting to tease, “You’ve been resting too much lately, your body isn’t firm, like a woman.”

He said this deliberately, wanting to see his reaction.

Sure enough, Shen Que was both nervous and embarrassed, raising his hands several times but unable to sign anything coherent, “I… I…”

“I’m not punishing you,” Xie Shiguan said, changing the subject, “Come over and help me wash.”

Shen Que seemed relieved, finally taking a breath, slowly approaching him, and picking up the bath towel from the tray by the pool, carefully washing Xie Shiguan’s body.

The Prince let him do as he pleased, not speaking for a long time.

Shen Que quickly finished washing his upper body, hesitating whether to continue downward, when Xie Shiguan suddenly asked, “How old are you this year?”

Startled, Shen Que’s hand trembled, and he came to the Prince’s side, signing, “Twenty-six.”

“Indeed, not young.”

Then the Prince continued, “In the Prince’s residence, all attendants, regardless of status, are free to marry when of age. I don’t restrict you. Many of the personal guards your age are already married with children, setting many precedents—what about you, do you have someone in mind?”

Shen Que immediately noticed his self-reference, and Xie Shiguan’s tone seemed genuinely softer, as if truly having a heart-to-heart with him.

He thought for a moment, then replied, “If not for the Prince’s kindness in buying me back to the residence, I wouldn’t be here today. I only wish to serve the Prince for a lifetime, not daring to think of anything else.”

Shen Que’s hands worked diligently, and with the heat of the bath, his face quickly turned red.

Xie Shiguan curled his lips, reaching out to ruffle his wet hair, as if teasing a pet, “You’re taking advantage, planning for me to support you when you’re old and sick?”

Shen Que quickly lowered his head, “I wouldn’t dare.”

In the residence, if a servant grew old and couldn’t work, they were given some silver and sent away. If they fell seriously ill, they were expelled and left to fend for themselves. There was no reason to expect the Prince to support them for free.

He knew his words were poorly chosen, giving the Prince a chance to find fault, and he knew he should say something smooth to express his loyalty.

But the more anxious he was, the clumsier his hands became, and he couldn’t think of anything to say.

Shen Que stood dumbly in the water, while Xie Shiguan ignored him, soaking in the bath as if he were invisible.

That night, when the Prince dismissed him back to his small courtyard, Shen Que almost fled in panic.