The two of them had successfully disgusted each other, and then, as if nothing had happened, they both made their way toward Qianhua Hall.
The walk was quiet. Shen Nian wasn't used to this kind of silence, so he spoke up. "Your Majesty, there's something this humble subject has been curious about. I'm not sure if I ought to ask."
Qi Junmu said, "You've already said it out loud. Could I possibly refuse to give you an answer?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Nian smiled. "These past few days, while patrolling the palace, I noticed a pavilion near the Cold Palace. It's quite magnificent and tall, built with fine materials—yet it's sealed up, with no one watching over it or cleaning it. Why is that?"
There was nothing secret about it, so Qi Junmu replied flatly, "That was the Beast Pavilion built by order of the late Emperor. He said he dreamed of a divine beast that would bring great fortune to the realm and the people. He wanted to capture it and keep it there, clipping its wings so it could never escape."
"The day the pavilion was completed, the late Emperor was in excellent spirits. He later had a tall lighthouse built inside it, from which one could see far into the distance. The divine beast never came, but the late Emperor would often go there when he was in low spirits. Then one day, in a fit of rage, he declared that there was no such beast to save the realm or its people—that mortals could only rely on themselves. He personally pasted the seals on the doors and ordered that no one was to approach the place. As time passed, people forgot about it. And since it sits so close to the Cold Palace, everyone says it's an unlucky place. The palace attendants don't go near it either, afraid of catching bad luck."
Hearing the Emperor's words, Shen Nian couldn't help but picture the late Emperor standing alone on that tower.
His voice low, he said, "My father always wanted to return to the capital to pay his respects to the late Emperor. Unfortunately, that wish never came true."
Qi Junmu glanced at him but said nothing.
Shen Yi had been unable to return to the capital, largely because the late Emperor could never forgive the companion who had betrayed him.
He had read the late Emperor's chronicles, written by the imperial historians. In their youth, the late Emperor and Shen Yi had been extremely close. But later, Shen Yi's family had chosen the wrong side, making him an opponent of the late Emperor—who came to hate him to the bone, wishing he could have him killed on the spot.
Fortunately, Shen Yi had a talent for warfare, so he was sent to guard the northern borders for the late Emperor.
Over the years, Shen Yi had returned to the capital several times, but each time the late Emperor used illness as an excuse and refused to summon him to the palace.
Shen Yi's visits were always rushed and ended in awkwardness. No matter how many merits he earned, the late Emperor's loathing for the Shen family never faded.
Of course, Shen Yi's rewards were also far fewer than others', making it clear to everyone that the late Emperor not only disliked him but took deliberate pleasure in humiliating him. Shen Yi had wanted to bring the Shen family back to the pinnacle of the capital and restore their standing among the great clans—but that required the late Emperor's approval.
Unfortunately, while others could count on even a sliver of goodwill from a meeting, with the late Emperor, Shen Yi could never find an opportunity to speak at all.
Still, even though the late Emperor didn't like Shen Yi, he placed great importance on the northern frontier and never withheld the region's military pay.
In fact, it wasn't just the north—the late Emperor never held back pay from any of the four borders.
He had once said: The soldiers guarding the four directions protect the lands of Da Qi, their own homeland. There is no reason to let them fight with empty stomachs and frozen bodies.
"That's why picking sides is such a precarious matter—one misstep can bring ruin to your entire clan, even your descendants."
Shen Nian hadn't given much thought to his words when he said them, but after they left his mouth, he realized they might have been inappropriate.
He stole a glance at Qi Junmu. Seeing no expression on his face, he felt a flicker of unease. Complaining about the late Emperor—even indirectly—right in front of the current Emperor was surely something that would be remembered.
But soon, Shen Nian had no time to dwell on that. As they turned a corner, they ran into Ruan Jiqing, who was approaching with a group of attendants and the imperial palanquin.
The moment Ruan Jiqing spotted the Emperor, his legs gave out and he dropped to his knees. Despite the freezing cold, his forehead was drenched in sweat. On the verge of tears, he choked out, "Your Majesty..."
Ruan Jiqing was genuinely terrified. If the Emperor had gone off alone and something happened to him, it would mean the extermination of nine generations of his family. He hadn't dared to tell anyone—especially not the Empress Dowager. He was afraid she would have him flayed on the spot right then and there.
But the palace was vast. He had led his men searching every place the Emperor frequented and found nothing. As the night grew later, Ruan Jiqing had already resigned himself to dying for his failure—and then, by some stroke of luck, he had actually found the Emperor. It was truly heaven's mercy.
Qi Junmu walked up to Ruan Jiqing and said, "What are you weeping about? Take me back to the palace."
Ruan Jiqing scrambled to his feet as fast as he could. He shot Shen Nian a grateful look, then ordered the palanquin to be lifted.
Just before leaving, the Emperor turned back and glanced at Shen Nian. "Marquis Shen, don't forget about the North Mountain matter tomorrow. I'll be waiting for your good news."
Shen Nian replied, "Yes."
Back at Qianhua Hall, after sipping some hot tea brought by Ruan Jiqing, Qi Junmu didn't go to bed right away. Instead, he sat by the brazier and picked up the secret report delivered by Yang Jinglei.
Though Qi Junmu had sent Qi Junyou to Qingzhou, he didn't trust his famously accomplished second brother one bit. He had Yang Jinglei watch Qi Junyou's every move the entire way, with reports sent every few days detailing the situation.
Yang Jinglei was a meticulous man. Since Qi Junmu had ordered him to keep Qi Junyou under secret surveillance, he recorded every single thing Qi Junyou did on the road in extraordinary detail—including the times, places, and people involved.
After reading through Yang Jinglei's secret report carefully, Qi Junmu chuckled and casually tossed it into the brazier.
To sum it up in one sentence: Qi Junyou's trip to Qingzhou had deepened his bond with Prince Jin considerably. The two had been eating together, sleeping together, and even washing up together the entire time.
Meanwhile, out in the middle of nowhere, Qi Junyou—who had stepped aside to relieve himself—found himself once again speechless as he stared at Qi Junzhuo, who was standing right beside him. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Can you turn around?"
Qi Junzhuo refused again. "No."
If he turned around, he wouldn't be able to see if Qi Junyou made any small movements—and if he left some secret signal to pass along information, that would be trouble.
Prince Ping, who had never once cursed in his life, couldn't help but swear under his breath. He was convinced Qi Junzhuo had lost his mind. He had thought that no matter how carefully Qi Junmu arranged things, he would still have a chance to send word of Qi Junmu's plans out.
Then someone would pass the message on to Qingzhou.
But no—the entire way, Qi Junzhuo had been watching him like a hawk, his eyes never once blinking.
Under the guise of brotherly affection, they even shared the same bed. Anything Qi Junyou touched, Qi Junzhuo burned. Anything he used, Qi Junzhuo hacked to pieces with his sword.
The capital was growing more distant by the day, and Qingzhou drew closer. Qi Junyou was frantic with anxiety and utterly sick of Qi Junzhuo.
He couldn't help but snap, "What, you don't need to go? Then why are you staring at me? How is anyone supposed to go with you watching like that?"
No sooner had he spoken than Qi Junzhuo began untying his own belt.
Qi Junyou jumped in alarm. "What are you doing?"
Qi Junzhuo looked back at him with those pale golden eyes, expression innocent. "I need to go too. Are you satisfied now?"
"Satisfied my ass!" Qi Junyou's eyes went wide as he stomped his foot. "I'm not trying to compare sizes with you! Can you just turn around? Just for the blink of an eye? Please? I'm begging you, Prince Jin—call you big brother if I have to. I'm about to burst!"
Qi Junzhuo pressed his lips together and coldly spat out two words: "Not happening."
Qi Junyou cursed again. Fine. He gave up. He wouldn't try any tricks. He wouldn't pass messages. He was now certain of one thing—both Qi Junmu and Qi Junzhuo were out of their minds, and badly so.
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