In his previous life, when the people from the Imperial Household Department arrived, Xiao Shao had arranged to go horseback riding with his rowdy friends. Arriving a step late, Qi Yan was chosen and taken away by his older brother.

Xiao Shao was the son born to the Emperor and Empress in their later years. Although he was also a legitimate son born of the Empress, he was nearly ten years younger than the legitimate eldest Crown Prince. Unless the Crown Prince died suddenly, he had no possibility of succeeding the throne.

Without the need to succeed the throne, the Emperor didn't restrict him and doted on him immensely. He indulged his youngest son to idle about the city teasing cats and dogs, making him a true profligate playboy.

At that time, Xiao Shao didn't want to get involved in disputes and was happy to be a carefree prince. In order to reassure his brother, he played more and more wildly, allowing all kinds of dirty water to be poured onto his reputation.

It was currently the season of a late spring cold spell. Xiao Shao threw on a heavy cloak: "Fu Dehai, go tell Yuan Yu and Xie Guanghong that I'm going to take care of some business. I won't go horseback riding today, I'll look for them next time."

Yuan Yu and Xie Guanghong were his playmates from when he was a young prince, both of whom were well-known playboys in the Capital City.

Fu Dehai was momentarily stunned, not knowing who in the Imperial Household Department had offended this lord, but he just bowed and complied, "Alright, I'll go inform them right away."

He bypassed two winding corridors and kicked open the main doors of the main hall. The director of the Department of Ceremonies was leading a row of delicate and pretty children waiting inside. Hearing the noise, he bowed and saluted, "Your Highness."

Xiao Shao was uninterested in the director who had a face like an old tangerine peel. Waving his hand to dismiss the formalities, he sat down in the center seat and swept his gaze over the crowd.

Soon after, he frowned slightly.

This row of eunuchs all kept their heads down, their foreheads almost touching their chests. Each of them looked constrained and cowering. Unable to see their faces, he really couldn't tell who was who.

A trace of displeasure surged in Xiao Shao's chest.

In his past life, when he interacted with Qi Yan, Qi Yan was already the Brush-holding Eunuch in the palace and the Director of the Eastern Depot. He could be said to hold unparalleled power, blazing like an unchecked fire. Even facing Xiao Shao, a prince, he was neither haughty nor humble. His figure had been lean and upright, his back as straight as bamboo and cypress. His brows were always indifferent, hiding a slight sickly weariness. When had he ever taken on such a subservient posture?

The hand Xiao Shao used to hold the teacup exerted a slight force, and his brows furrowed even deeper.

Just thinking that Qi Yan had once acted so submissively before the Crown Prince made Xiao Shao even more displeased.

Since he was in a bad mood, his tone was cold: "All of you, raise your heads."

The row of eunuchs trembled even more like quails. They obediently raised their heads, but their eyes didn't dare to look at Xiao Shao, staring only at the floor in front of them.

Xiao Shao looked at them one by one, placed the teacup on the table, and his tone became colder: "Where is Qi Yan?"

These ten or twenty children were all beautiful, but none of them was Qi Yan.

The director was stunned: "Qi Yan?"

Xiao Shao swirled his teacup: "The son of the Investigating Censor of Salt in Hedong, the Tanhua of the thirty-fourth year of Antai. I remember a few months ago his whole family was imprisoned for corruption. The men were beheaded, the women were sent to the Jiaofangsi. He was the only one with scholarly honors who was granted amnesty, castrated, and sent to the palace. Is he not in this batch?"

This matter had just happened for others, but for Xiao Shao, it was already a matter from more than ten years ago. However, he was exceptionally gifted and had a photographic memory. He had just been hiding his talents, so no one knew. Now, bringing up old matters, he could list them as easily as his family's valuables.

The director smiled apologetically, "Ah, him... He just received punishment and is still recovering from his injuries. That person has a stubborn temper, and his time in the palace has been short, so he hasn't been properly disciplined yet. For fear that he might offend you, you should look at these children instead. They are all young, obedient, and delicate."

Xiao Shao became increasingly impatient: "They aren't to my liking. Where is Qi Yan? Lead the way."

He stood up from his seat. The director dared not disobey this Highness, so he could only step forward to lead the way: "Please come this way, come this way."

When the old Emperor was alive, other than vying for the throne, Xiao Shao had always been unbridled and reckless, doing whatever he wanted. Or rather, the more unbridled and reckless he was, the more reassured the Crown Prince felt.

Xiao Shao didn't wait for the director. Once he learned the location, he mounted his horse. With a crack of his whip, Nightsilk galloped across the streets of the Capital City. This was a fine horse given as tribute by Dayuan. Its entire body was as white as fresh snow, and it could travel a thousand miles a day.

As the horse's hooves clattered on the stone-paved road, the strong wind blew against his face, and the pavilions on both sides rapidly retreated backwards. Xiao Shao's mood improved a little.

—Qi Yan had just been punished, so he must be very miserable right now. The thought of this finally brought him some delight.

Arriving at the entrance of the Directorate of Ceremonial, someone immediately came forward. Xiao Shao dismounted, tucked his horsewhip into his waist, and learned that Qi Yan was placed in a side room in the corner of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Qi Yan had entered the palace as a criminal, holding a lowly status. He had been subjected to continuous punishments over the past few days, and his residence was in the most desolate and remote place. Xiao Shao followed the eunuch through winding paths, almost circling the entire Directorate of Ceremonial before finding the place.

The people living here were all servants with no status. The roof was covered with green glazed tiles, maintaining sufficient royal dignity, but the doors and windows were decayed and dilapidated. The paper pasted on the windows was mostly torn, letting in drafts from all sides. The wooden doors were eaten by insects and ants, and the door knockers were completely covered in dark green verdigris.

Xiao Shao walked at the front. He really didn't want to touch the door knockers with his hands, so he raised his leg and gave it a kick. The wooden door collapsed to the ground with a loud crash, splashing up a cloud of dust.

Xiao Shao covered his nose and fanned the air before stepping inside.

He saw Qi Yan at first glance.

There was a tattered bed, an old and blackened quilt, and the person wrapped in the quilt only revealed a section of a wrist. The wrist was covered with crisscrossing wounds.

The palace never spared any effort in disciplining disobedient servants. This must have been whipped by a ruler.

Those hands moved slightly, his fingertips gripping the quilt. Qi Yan seemed to have heard the noise at the door. He struggled to prop himself up. His vacant eyes slowly shifted and landed on Xiao Shao.

Qi Yan's pupils shrank slightly.

Then, he suddenly raised a smile. It wasn't out of happiness, but a smile of relief, as if letting go of everything. Those bloodless lips mumbled, and reading his lips, he seemed to be saying: "Your Majesty."

But before the words could leave his mouth, Qi Yan's gaze fell upon Xiao Shao—he was wearing a crimson robe with a round collar and narrow sleeves. The color was intense and extremely arrogant, yet the flame patterns on both sleeves were clearly the attire of a prince.

In an instant, Qi Yan lowered his eyes. As his hands loosened their grip, he half-collapsed onto the bed, unexpectedly lacking even the strength to support his body.

Xiao Shao raised his eyebrows.

The director hurriedly said: "He is delirious and has been running a fever. A few days ago, he even wanted to submit a petition to His Majesty, saying that his father was wrongfully accused. Now he's talking nonsense again."

Xiao Shao repeated with an unclear meaning: "He wants to say Qi Chen was wrongfully accused?"

"Yes, but the case of the Investigating Censor of Salt has long been a foregone conclusion. His father embezzled a full three million taels. The Crown Prince investigated it together with the Ministry of Justice and the Eastern Depot. The evidence is conclusive. How could this letter possibly be submitted?"

Xiao Shao: "True."

He slightly raised his eyebrows, suddenly thinking of an excellent way to torture Qi Yan.

"Where is that letter of his? Present it for me to see."

Very quickly, someone brought up a letter.

Xiao Shao took it, shook it open, and laid it out flat. This thing wasn't a formal memorial document. With Qi Yan's current status, he couldn't write a memorial either. This letter was written on rough paper with inferior ink, containing a full thousand words.

Xiao Shao: "Good handwriting."

Qi Yan's handwriting had always been beautiful, otherwise he couldn't have become his imperial brother's Brush-holding Eunuch, writing comments on memorials. The structure of the characters in this letter was still present, but the strokes were dry and the ink withered. Every word wept blood, showing the writer's grief and indignation.

He read the letter from beginning to end, and then suddenly said: "Qi Yan, look at me."

When Qi Yan raised his head, he grasped both sides of the letter with his hands and, bit by bit, tore it apart.

Tearing it once wasn't satisfying enough. Xiao Shao overlapped the pieces of paper and tore them again. Repeating this several times, he shredded the letter into unrecoverable fragments. Then, with a toss of his hand, the pieces of paper scattered in the wind.

Xiao Shao smiled and said: "Complete nonsense. This kind of thing that insults the Emperor's ears is better torn up early, isn't it?"

It contained many speculations and evidence regarding the corruption case. It must have been Qi Yan's painstaking effort. Tearing it up like this, Qi Yan would definitely be very sad.

Thus, Xiao Shao waited at his leisure. With his arms crossed, he quietly awaited Qi Yan's reaction.

Qi Yan had no reaction.

He was sick, and his movements were a bit sluggish. Those dark, heavy eyes looked over, landed on the fragments scattered on the ground, and then quietly moved away, like an emotionless dead person.

Qi Yan lowered his head and smiled slightly: "Your Highness is correct to teach me so. This kind of thing that pollutes His Majesty's pure hearing is better torn up cleanly, lest it implicate others."

"..."

Xiao Shao narrowed his eyes, feeling the displeasure of punching the air. At this moment, the director standing at the side finally managed to interject. Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, he bypassed Xiao Shao, lifted Qi Yan's quilt, and grabbed his hair: "How can you, a criminal slave, be so ignorant of etiquette? The Fourth Highness is standing right here, don't you know to pay your respects?"

Xiao Shao watched their actions with his arms crossed. For some inexplicable reason, he felt even more displeased, but he couldn't figure out the source of this displeasure. So, he didn't say anything and allowed the director to press Qi Yan onto the ground, forcing his head down to kowtow.

The director smiled apologetically: "Your Highness, this slave hasn't been taught well and has no manners. You'd better go back first and pick someone to your liking."

But Xiao Shao said: "No need. I think he's quite good. I'll take him."

Having already claimed the world in his previous life, Xiao Shao had no regrets. The only exception was the person in front of him, whom he hadn't tormented enough. Now that he was living a second life with such a good opportunity, he couldn't let anyone else take him away.

Saying this, Xiao Shao pulled out the horsewhip from his waist and tapped Qi Yan's knee: "Stand up and come with me."

Qi Yan's breath hitched when he took out the horsewhip. His body instinctively tensed up, but he quickly relaxed as if it didn't matter. He closed his eyes, allowing Xiao Shao to do as he pleased. He only opened his eyes again when the horsewhip lightly tapped his knee.

Xiao Shao had already stepped over the threshold, walking outside.

Qi Yan supported himself against the wall and struggled to stand up. His severe injuries hadn't healed, and he was still running a fever. His legs were trembling, making it almost impossible to take a step. His speed was hardly faster than a snail's. But since Xiao Shao had ordered him to "walk," no one else dared to help him.

Bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down his forehead. Every step he took was difficult. When he finally shuffled to the threshold, Qi Yan wiped his forehead, revealing a bitter smile.

The early spring was cold. The biting wind of March was no less sharp than a knife. Dragging this broken body of his, let alone walking to the Prince's Estate, even making it out of the Directorate of Ceremonial was an impossible task.

Holding his breath, he was just about to force himself to step over when Xiao Shao, ten steps away, suddenly stopped in his tracks and clicked his tongue.

Xiao Shao said: "With your sickly body, you'd probably die before you make it back. I haven't had enough fun yet; I won't allow you to die so easily."

Qi Yan's movements paused.

Having been punished, he was right in the midst of terrible pain. His face was as white as a ghost, and even standing was extremely difficult. Yet, facing Xiao Shao, he still showed a standard and proper smile, as if he had been trained thousands of times: "Then what does Your Highness want me to do?"

Xiao Shao didn't look at him, but only pointed his horsewhip at the attending director: "Go, find a sedan chair for him and carry him back to my estate."