Qi Junmu had not expected Shen Nian to say such a thing at a moment like this. It was not a jest, yet it made him feel oddly self-conscious and ill at ease.
He felt his ears begin to warm, so he averted his gaze slightly and said flatly, "I only told Xing Yi to watch Prince Rui, not Cheng Jin." His implication was clear: he had not ordered anyone to monitor Cheng Jin, so the correspondence between Cheng Jin and Shen Nian was merely his inference based on Cheng Jin's temperament.
This time, Shen Nian did not laugh. He looked quietly at the Emperor, his eyes carrying emotions both calm and complicated.