Shen Nian and Qi Junzhuo had only met a few times and had never spoken alone. When they met this time, there was a touch of awkwardness at first.
Shen Nian paid little mind to Qi Junzhuo's unusual eyes. In his life, he had seen countless dead men, those missing arms or legs, those scarred by burns or blades—even his own body bore wounds.
Qi Junzhuo's eyes were merely different from most—nothing worth making a fuss over.
Fortunately, Qi Junzhuo was deeply curious about the borderlands, and Shen Nian was willing to speak of such matters.
Once they started talking, they truly hit it off. When their interest peaked, they even played two rounds of chess. Qi Junzhuo was well-versed in military strategy but lacked field experience, and was nearly crushed by Shen Nian's encirclement tactics.
Qi Junzhuo was not discouraged—he asked about whatever he did not understand, and Shen Nian explained the real battles of the North Frontier as they played. Qi Junzhuo listened with great fascination and came to admire Shen Nian deeply.
During their conversation, Qi Junzhuo suddenly recalled that when Shen Nian had first returned to the capital, Qi Junmu had spoken of him and encouraged Qi Junzhuo to get to know him.
At the time, he did not understand and had no desire to approach Shen Nian—mainly because it seemed inappropriate for a prince to associate with a great general commanding heavy troops. It would surely invite impeachment.
He did not want to cause trouble for Qi Junmu, so he had put the matter aside. Yet now, by roundabout turns, he and Shen Nian had become acquainted nonetheless.
Qi Junzhuo smiled at the thought.
Shen Nian noticed the peculiar smile and reset the chessboard, asking, "Has Your Highness thought of something pleasant?"
Qi Junzhuo did not hide it and told him the whole story.
Shen Nian had never known about this. He paused briefly, his heart feeling as though a feather had brushed lightly across it—ticklish and tingling.
Then he lowered his gaze and smiled. "I did not know."
Had the Emperor already decided in his heart that he was worth befriending, even back then? At that time, they were still strangers, and he had been deeply wary of the Emperor—yet the Emperor had already begun steering Qi Junzhuo toward him.
"I thank Your Highness for telling me this," Shen Nian said, rising to his feet with solemn respect.
Qi Junzhuo shook his head. "I only spoke the truth—there is no need for thanks." Besides, he had his own motives in bringing this up. Shen Nian seemed a man of deep feeling, and knowing that the Emperor had trusted him so early could only benefit Qi Junmu.
Shen Nian smiled. He did not say whether Qi Junzhuo had told him this intentionally or unintentionally—he was grateful either way, because it had let him understand the Emperor a little better.
In high spirits, Shen Nian chatted a while longer with Qi Junzhuo and then took his leave. Before departing, he said, "If Your Highness wishes to know anything further, simply send word to me."
Qi Junzhuo nodded in agreement.
Word that Qi Junzhuo and Shen Nian had gotten along splendidly soon reached the Emperor's ears.
Qi Junmu was not surprised in the least. In the previous life, the two had been close as well—it was only because of his own involvement that their acquaintance had been delayed somewhat in this life.
Still, they had met along the same good path nonetheless. Qi Junmu had no intention of meddling too much in their friendship. That was their private affair—he would simply watch from the sidelines, with no need to interfere.
Of course, this turn of events lifted Qi Junmu's spirits. Shen Nian was the minister he valued most, and Qi Junzhuo the brother he cherished most. Seeing them get along pleased him greatly.
That evening, Shen Nian was scheduled for duty, but he asked for leave instead, saying only that matters at home required his attention.
Qi Junmu could not imagine what family business there might be, but he did not refuse.
It was rare for Shen Nian to ask for leave, and Qi Junmu found it hard to refuse him.
Yet the very next morning, at court, Su Ren—the Prefect of the Capital—submitted an impeachment memorial against Shen Nian, accusing him of arrogance and violence, for having injured a man under the very nose of the Son of Heaven.
Qi Junmu was baffled. Naturally, he believed Shen Nian was not that kind of man. He asked, "Prefect Su, whom did Shen Nian strike?"
Su Ren knelt on the ground and said, "Marquis Zhenbei broke Vice Minister Yue's leg."
"What?" Qi Junmu was dumbfounded.
Su Ren was still speaking, his expression pained and furious: "Marquis Zhenbei committed assault in broad daylight. This humble subject begs Your Majesty to severely punish Marquis Zhenbei."
Qi Junmu pressed his lips together and said nothing, his demeanor utterly cold.
The court officials—including even Lin Xiao, who knew the emperor well—all believed the emperor's expression was directed at Shen Nian. For a top official to commit a serious crime right under the emperor's nose was already a grave offense.
What's more, Shen Nian's target was Yue Yunzhou—a skilled investigator from the Ministry of Justice who was about to head to Shen Nian's own territory to investigate a case. They had every reason to suspect Shen Nian did it on purpose—he didn't want Yue Yunzhou going to the North Frontier.
And from that, one could even infer that Chang Sheng's disappearance in the North Frontier was most likely connected to Shen Nian.
This was the thought running through every civil and military official's mind, and Su Ren, as the prefect of the capital, felt it even more strongly.
He felt Shen Nian had done this deliberately—committing such an act right in his jurisdiction was no different from slapping him squarely in the face. Remembering how he had run around like a servant the last time the emperor visited the Marquis Zhenbei's residence, Su Ren felt a dull ache in his chest.
So he said, "Your Majesty, Vice Minister Yue carries a sacred decree to investigate the disappearance of Marquis Zhenxi in the North Frontier. For Marquis Zhenbei to act this way, this humble subject cannot help but suspect he did so deliberately, out of guilt. I beg Your Majesty to look into this thoroughly and see justice done for Vice Minister Yue."
"We beg Your Majesty to see justice for Vice Minister Yue." Most of the court officials joined in this demand, including Lin Xiao.
This time, what Shen Nian had done was far too blatant, far too arrogant. If they didn't seize this chance to cut him down to size, Lin Xiao felt they would be letting a golden opportunity slip by.
Qi Junmu pressed his lips even tighter, his expression growing colder by the moment.
Qi Junmu was genuinely shocked—but inwardly, he was also thoroughly pleased. He had actually been planning something similar himself: before Yue Yunzhou left the capital, he would have someone beat him black and blue, preferably to the point where he couldn't walk.
Beating up Yue Yunzhou was a fairly trivial matter, easy enough to arrange. But if it were done by him or by someone from the palace, it would be too easy to leave traces.
Yue Yunzhou was a meticulous man—if he caught even a whiff of something amiss, the game wouldn't be nearly as fun. The most crucial point was that even if Qi Junmu ordered it, the blame would still have to fall on Shen Nian.
In the past, Qi Junmu would have had no such scruples—he'd have set a trap for Shen Nian without even giving him a heads-up.
But this time, perhaps because the stakes were so high—one misstep and Shen Nian would be completely dragged under—Qi Junmu had far more considerations and details to weigh, needing to cover every angle.
Yet before he could come up with a foolproof plan, Shen Nian had already made his move—and in broad daylight, with his own hands, no less.
Before Qi Junmu could even lay the trap, Shen Nian had already stuck his own head into it.
At this, Qi Junmu's feelings were extraordinarily complicated. He felt that while Shen Nian's move was somewhat unexpected, it was still beautifully executed and very much to his liking. But at the same time, Qi Junmu felt a twinge of irritation—annoyed that Shen Nian had gone ahead with this without even consulting him, and annoyed... well, he couldn't quite put his finger on what else. Perhaps it was that Shen Nian had disrupted his still-unfinished plan.
As Qi Junmu mulled these thoughts over, listening to the court officials clamoring for Shen Nian's arrest, the expression on his face grew ever more severe.
The ministers soon noticed the emperor's darkening expression, and the murmurings gradually died down. Before Su Ren could speak again, Qi Junmu said calmly, "Summon Marquis Zhenbei."
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