Qi Yan was taken aback. His lips touching the wine cup, he hesitated slightly, mimicking Xiao Shao's manner as he leaned in close to his ear: "I don't have a good tolerance for alcohol."

Song Luyang was still watching from the side, so Xiao Shao pressed a hand against the back of his head, pulling the person entirely toward himself. He kissed that bleeding-red earlobe again and again. To outsiders, it truly looked extremely intimate.

He placed light kisses behind his ear and murmured, "How bad?"

The hot breath sprayed behind his ear, carrying the unique incense from the Second Highness. Qi Yan was kissed into a hazy drunkenness, his face as red as if he had actually been drinking. He half-pushed against Xiao Shao's chest and hesitated, "Drunk after one sip, and I like to talk nonsense after getting drunk."

Xiao Shao: "Like to talk nonsense? Then just drink half a sip."

Saying this, his finger rubbed against Qi Yan's lips, smearing the color into a vibrant red. Then, he brought the wine cup to his lips, fed him half, and under the cover of his sleeve, spilled all the rest out.

Half of the remaining wine poured onto the ground, and the other half trickled down Xiao Shao's chest. Xiao Shao's clothes today were made of a thin, light material. He had already casually taken off his outer robe, leaving only a pure white inner garment. Soaked with a bit of liquid, the faint color of flesh peeked through.

Qi Yan only tasted one sip, yet he felt drunk.

His cheek rested against Xiao Shao's chest, hearing the Second Highness's slightly teasing reassurance: "Pingzhang, don't be so tense. Get a bit closer to me so we can keep up this act."

Qi Yan bit his lower lip, unable to utter a single word.

How could he call him by his courtesy name at a time like this?

The courtesy name bestowed by Grand Tutor Song was being used like this, carrying a sense of intimacy and indecent playfulness. Qi Yan should have been indignant, should have been angry, but inexplicably, he couldn't muster any fire. He merely asked in a muffled voice, "How close?"

Xiao Shao: "Wrap your arms around my neck, just like in the Imperial Study... yes, just like that."

He leaned down slightly. Xiao Shao hadn't bound his hair; it was only loosely tied with a dark red hairband. The moment he lowered his head, his cloud-like black hair cascaded down, blocking the outside view. Trapped in this small confined space, all Qi Yan could see was the Second Prince's unparalleled handsome face.

Whether it was the effect of the alcohol, Qi Yan's heartbeat involuntarily quickened. He watched helplessly as Xiao Shao's face leaned closer and closer, until finally, those thin lips landed on his earlobe once again.

Tingling.

Itchy.

It was a very light touch, yet it caused Qi Yan's lower abdomen to tense involuntarily. The numbness and itchiness on his earlobe spread into a continuous wave, causing his body to go limp.

And right in the midst of this romantic atmosphere, Xiao Shao narrowed his eyes and asked softly, "How much do you still remember about the Hedong silver storehouse incident?"

"..."

Qi Yan opened his eyes. Xiao Shao's gaze was clear, his expression calm. He had just drank two whole jugs of wine, yet at this moment, he didn't show the slightest hint of drunkenness.

A surge of anger suddenly rose in Qi Yan's heart. He pressed his knee forcefully against Xiao Shao, posturing to shove him off.

This bit of resistance was completely insignificant to Xiao Shao. Xiao Shao pinned him down in one move and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Biting the hand that feeds you, huh, little Tanhua. Come, tell your young lord the whole story of the Hedong Silver Case."

Qi Yan turned his face away with difficulty, then said, "I don't know much either."

When Xiao Shao had been on the throne, the case files for the Hedong silver storehouse case had already been destroyed. The people who handled the case back then had either died, gone mad, or been transferred far away to the border. There wasn't a single person in the know left.

This was obviously abnormal.

Such important case files should have been sealed and registered, kept securely, and even have several backup copies. During Emperor Jianning's reign, the files were still complete. There were only the few short years of Crown Prince Xiao Yi's reign between Emperor Jianning and Xiao Shao. For the files to be completely lost, the only person who could have done it without anyone noticing was Xiao Yi. There was no other suspect.

But why would Xiao Yi destroy the case files? What relationship did he have with the missing silver case?

Reborn into this life, Xiao Shao had his eyes on the throne. He couldn't be bothered to follow the rules, nervously playing the role of a hedonistic fop for years and waiting for his brother to die before succeeding him. He planned to use this as a breakthrough point to see if he could find clues to kick Xiao Yi off the position of Crown Prince.

Furthermore...

Maintaining this posture, Xiao Shao pinched Qi Yan's earlobe.

Qi Yan was slender, but his earlobes were round and plump. They were very soft to the pinch, making one uncontrollably want to take a bite. Buddhists say that those with plump earlobes are blessed, but unfortunately, Qi Yan hadn't received a single drop of this blessing. Not only was his family ruined and deceased, but later when he entered the palace, he was also destitute and battered, walking on thin ice.

Although Xiao Shao really didn't want to admit it, his heart truly ached for him.

That noble and pure youth who used to ride his horse through the long streets shouldn't have had such an ending.

Thirdly, Xiao Shao stroked his chin; if through this case, he could make little Tanhua Qi owe him a favor and work for him, willingly, devotedly, and without complaint reviewing memorials for him day and night from then on, that would be even better.

Since they were mingling intimately in one place, no one paid attention to them. Qi Yan softly and clearly explained the details of the case.

The case was not complicated.

At that time, Qi Chen was serving as the Inspecting Censor of Salt for Hedong Circuit, supervising the transportation of salt and iron in the Hedong commandery. On his first day in office, he opened the silver storehouse and requested an inventory check.

It was evening at the time, and the light inside the storehouse was insufficient. Someone held up a torch for illumination. Qi Chen and the accompanying officials saw with their own eyes countless amounts of silver stored in the chests, gleaming brightly. Blocks of silver ingots were placed in the chests, piling up like small mountains.

After looking, the Prefect of Hedong, Song Luyang, handed the storehouse key to Qi Chen. This key was specially crafted and there was only one. Qi Chen accepted it, then returned to the prefectural office to attend a banquet and drink wine with Song Luyang and the others. Afterwards, he submitted a memorial reporting his duties, and he also mentioned this detail.

Three days later, Song Luyang sent an urgent memorial posthaste to the Emperor, exposing the Inspecting Censor of Salt, Qi Chen, for bending the law for personal gain, stealing what he was entrusted to guard, and embezzling the silver from the storehouse. Every written word fell like a knife, sending shockwaves through the court and the public. Consequently, the imperial court sent inspectors. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qi Chen opened the storehouse once again, only to find the place empty. Aside from tattered wooden chests, there was nothing.

A storehouse full of silver had just vanished into thin air.

To empty the silver storehouse within three days without the main door key would have been absolutely impossible.

The only one who had the main door key was Qi Chen.

But Qi Chen insisted to the death that the storehouse was never opened, and he refused to confess the whereabouts of the silver. The Eastern Depot and the Imperial Prison took turns interrogating him, applying heavy torture, yet they still couldn't extract any useful information. As a result, his three clans were implicated, dragging his entire family down. His wife and children were scattered, and his family was destroyed and perished.

The little Tanhua Qi who had once worn flowers and ridden his horse through the long streets back then had also been reduced to his current state.

Qi Yan said softly, "I saw my father in prison. Father said that after he returned from the silver storehouse, he felt dizzy, nauseous, had diarrhea, and lacked strength. However, the weather was cold at the time, and a heavy snow had fallen in Hedong. He only thought he had caught a chill or was unaccustomed to the climate, so he didn't pay much attention to it. For three consecutive days, he was bedridden and groggy. When he finally woke up clear-headed, the supervising eunuchs of the Eastern Depot were already standing before him, holding the imperial decree."

Xiao Shao: "Did the key ever leave his person?"

Qi Yan: "Never."

Xiao Shao: "Strange."

They had been whispering on the fringes of the banquet, acting all lovey-dovey for a long while. To outsiders, it looked exactly like their passions were at their peak. Xiao Shao drunkenly scrambled up, swaying unsteadily. He leaned against a pillar to stand straight, then reached out and pulled Qi Yan up as well, locking him in his embrace.

Following that, he lazily cupped his hands in a salute to Song Luyang, his posture free and untamed: "Lord Song, everyone, please do as you please. I will be taking my leave first."

Naturally, no one dared to stop him.

The two left the banquet arm in arm. Xiao Shao brought Qi Yan back to the residence. The two closed and locked the door. Qi Yan was just about to continue talking about the case when he was pushed by Xiao Shao, falling straight onto the bed.

Xiao Shao pressed down on top of him. The heat of his body continuously transmitted through the fabric. Qi Yan was startled, then heard Xiao Shao say softly, "There's someone on the roof."

Qi Yan paused. Sure enough, he heard rustling noises, like the sound of feet stepping across the roof tiles.

Xiao Shao listened intently. A tile above the upper right corner of the bed was lifted, and moonlight cast a silver-white spot on the ground. He turned his body sideways, completely shielding Qi Yan, and then suddenly began to untie his clothes.

Black boots, a jade belt, an outer robe—they fell one by one. He raised his hand to pull off Qi Yan's waistband, comfortingly stroked the back of Qi Yan's neck, leaned down, and murmured in his ear: "Little Tanhua Qi, Song Luyang isn't reassured, so he sent someone to spy on us. Let out a few pants."

Qi Yan moved his body with difficulty: "What?"

Xiao Shao: "Pant a bit."

Qi Yan gritted his teeth, his voice as quiet as a mosquito. Before he could even finish panting, he heard Xiao Shao chuckle: "Louder, or we won't fool them."

Saying this, he covered Qi Yan's waist with one hand and slowly applied pressure. Under his light strokes and slow kneading, he actually forced two whimpers out of him.

The moonlight gradually darkened, and the tile was returned to its original place.

Xiao Shao pressed Qi Yan down, staying on the bed for another quarter of an hour before finally standing up.

Playing the gentleman quite well, he picked up the waistband and handed it back to Qi Yan. Qi Yan kept his head down, silent, unable to vent his anger. He roughly tied it on. Xiao Shao then took a step ahead of him, striding out the door.

They vaulted over the outer wall of the residence. Xiao Shao bought an old horse from a vendor who hadn't yet closed his stall and reached out his hand to Qi Yan: "Get on."

Qi Yan mounted the horse. Xiao Shao brought the little Tanhua along, not minding the squeeze. He directly raised the whip and spurred the horse on, heading toward the silver storehouse.

This silver storehouse was located at the foot of Mount Qinglong in the west of the city. Backed by a large mountain, there was only one road for passage. They passed through a village. The village was desolate and deserted, the banner of the tavern at the entrance already faded. Xiao Shao wiped a hand across a chair, gathering a thick layer of black dust.

He frowned slightly: "This village..."

From the extent of the doors' and windows' decay, and the cobwebs hanging from the eaves, the tavern hadn't been vacant for long—about three to six months. The tavern was not small; there were fully ten or more sets of tables and chairs in front, enough for more than a dozen people to drink together. It was clear this place used to be bustling with people coming and going. But how could it be completely abandoned within just three months?

Bypassing the village, the two continued forward along the road. Before long, they reached the edge of the storehouse. However, they saw Mount Qinglong covered in layers of shadows. From a distance, there were actually pavilions and towers stacked layer upon layer, with ornamental columns and corridor pillars standing among them.

But these pavilions were desolate and bleak, without a trace of firelight. Situated amidst the barren mountains and wild ridges, they looked more like the dwellings of wandering spirits and wild ghosts, appearing exceptionally eerie.

Xiao Shao pinched his chin: "Earlier on the road, it seemed someone mentioned that Mount Qinglong is haunted."

Qi Yan shook his head and said, "Mount Qinglong used to be the mausoleums and tombs of the Prince An lineage of the previous dynasty. Prince An guarded this place for generations, and the title was passed down for more than eight generations. There are eight princely tombs on Mount Qinglong. These pavilions and towers should be the sacrificial halls and offering shrines of the princely tombs, as well as the stone statues and ornamental columns."

He looked around: "I heard that to this day, there are still descendants of Prince An guarding the tombs for their ancestors. Perhaps we can meet a tomb keeper."

Xiao Shao let go of the reins and shifted his gaze away from the pavilions: "Since they are princely tombs of the previous dynasty, they probably have no connection to this case. Let's head to the silver storehouse first."

They rode forward along the small path for another mile or two and arrived at the location marked as the silver storehouse on the map. But as soon as Qi Yan dismounted, he frowned.

The smell of burning and charcoal was everywhere here.

That storehouse, which had been several meters high, was nowhere to be seen. In its place was an expanse of pitch-black scorched earth.

This silver storehouse had already been burned to the ground.

Just like those case files that had disappeared without a reason.

Xiao Shao jumped down from his horse, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Interesting."