Wei Yang stared at him in utter disbelief, spitting out each word:
“That was dirty money.”
Chu Xiangtian, reaching out with zero patience, waved a hand dismissively.
“It was my money. Young Master Wen borrowed it from me. Those village elders took the gold and did nothing—shouldn’t they return it?”
“Hurry up,” he added.
“I’ve got things to do.”
He looked every inch a man with urgent business, barking at Wei Yang like he was the one being reasonable here.
Wei Yang fumed.
“I haven’t even held you accountable for bribery yet!”
“Tch.” Chu Xiangtian clicked his tongue.
“So are you giving it or not? If not, good luck borrowing troops from the Ministry of Justice next time.”
The two were childhood friends. After Wei Yang’s promotion to Vice Minister of Justice, he started handling all the thorny, high-stakes cases—usually involving powerful, well-connected suspects.
For protection, he often borrowed elite soldiers from Chu Xiangtian’s command.
Just like with this gold mine embezzlement case—since it implicated the Crown Prince’s men, he’d tapped into Chu Xiangtian’s forces stationed in the capital.
As Wei Yang often said, “The imperial guards are useless. I only trust Chu Xiangtian’s men.”
And yet today, faced with this man’s shamelessness, he was speechless. Back when he heard Chu Xiangtian had squeezed the Ministry of Revenue for rations, he’d laughed and gloated.
Now that it was happening to him, he could only roll up his sleeves and resist the urge to start swinging.
He’d seen shameless people before—but never someone this shameless.
Seething, Wei Yang stormed into the back storage room, yanked out the confiscated gold, and tossed it at Chu Xiangtian like it was burning his hands.
“Take it and get lost.”
He didn’t even dare look at him again. One more second and he might drop dead from rage.
Chu Xiangtian opened the wooden box and did a quick check. Five gold ingots—just right. But he wasn’t done.
“Where are the other two?” he asked.
Wei Yang: …
Grudgingly, he went back and fished out the other two.
Now reunited with the little young master’s secret stash, Chu Xiangtian left grinning from ear to ear, cradling the three boxes in his arms like treasures.
He imagined Wen Tian’s sweet, soft “thank you” when he gave it back, and the mere thought made him feel cozy from scalp to toe.
After he left, Wei Yang clutched his chest, nearly gasping from the anger. He was used to inflicting this kind of frustration, not receiving it. Only Chu Xiangtian could flip the tables like this.
Meanwhile, Yang Dashi huddled with a few soldiers and whispered, “Don’t you think the General’s been looking real chipper lately? Could he be… in love?”
The others thought it was highly possible. After all, the old iron tree had finally bloomed—miraculous!
Chu Xiangtian had led troops since his teens, back when the late Emperor still ruled. Those days, the borderlands were chaos—constant fighting.
Over the years, they’d crushed unruly foreign tribes, scattered their forces, and only after the new Emperor’s reign began did things settle.
After all that blood and grit, the once-brilliant young general had become a hardened veteran with the shamelessness of ten old rogues.
Now well into his twenties, he was still single.
Every time he returned to the capital, the Empress Dowager and Emperor tried matchmaking—but he either scared the noble daughters into tears or found them too prim, too boring.
So what did he want?
Yang Dashi rubbed his chin.
“Could it be that Wen family kid? The way the General was guarding him like a mother hen…”
Their general wasn’t exactly known for being selflessly heroic. The way he hovered protectively over Wen Tian?
Yeah, no way that was just concern.
Back at the Wen Estate—
Carrying three wooden boxes, Chu Xiangtian knocked at the side entrance since the main gates were closed. The gatekeeper let him in without question.
He made his way to the eastern wing with practiced ease, spotting Daifu sitting outside the room.
“Where’s your young master?” he asked casually.
Daifu replied, “He’s bathing.”
Chu Xiangtian paused for half a beat, then headed inside without missing a step.
“I brought something for him.”
Daifu tried to stop him, but he was already inside before he could speak.
Wen Tian was soaking in the bath, still shaken from the earlier confrontation. His whole body had been drenched in cold sweat, so the moment he got home, he’d ordered a hot bath.
The warmth gradually seeped through him, chasing away the chill, making him feel alive again.
Chu Xiangtian wandered around but couldn’t find him. He called out—no answer. So he went back to ask Daifu.
Inside, Wen Tian had most of his face submerged in the steaming water, cheeks flushed, fingers pale and pruney.
Only after some time did he finally emerge, towel-dry his hair, and lazily throw on a light robe before stepping out.
The bath chamber was connected to his bedroom, divided by a folding screen.
As Chu Xiangtian returned, leading Daifu in, the person he’d been thinking about all day just happened to step out from behind the screen.
His damp hair draped loosely down to his waist, and the pale blue robe clung to his slender figure, revealing smooth, porcelain-white skin beneath.
And the way he greeted him—soft and sleepy:
“Chu Xiangtian…”
A tingle ran down Chu Xiangtian’s spine. Damn, he thought. This little fairy’s going to be the death of me.
Wen Tian didn’t notice anything wrong. Only after calling out did he realize how disheveled he looked.
Embarrassed, he quickly muttered, “Wait a sec,” and rushed into the inner room to change.
Chu Xiangtian’s eyes followed him the whole way, only pulling back once the view disappeared.
Wen Tian soon returned, properly dressed with his hair tied back in a ribbon, bright-eyed and fresh.
“Did everything go okay?”
“Yeah. All done.” Chu Xiangtian ruffled his hair, then let his hand drift—just briefly—across his cheek. Warm and soft.
Wen Tian didn’t mind. He was used to these little gestures by now—truth be told, he even liked them.
Aside from his mother and sister, no one had ever been this affectionate. It made him feel… cherished.
“I brought you something.”
Chu Xiangtian set the three boxes on the table.
“Guess what’s inside?”
Wen Tian let out a surprised “Oh!” and opened one. Inside were five gold ingots—identical to the ones he’d given away.
“Aren’t these the ones I—”
“Yep,” Chu Xiangtian cut in smoothly.
“I got them back for you.”
Wen Tian stared at him, wide-eyed.
“How?”
Chu Xiangtian made something up on the spot.
“The village elders had their houses searched. The soldiers missed these. I just… picked them up for you.”
He said it like it was nothing. Wen Tian, however, was alarmed. He knew this wasn’t right. But still—this was Chu Xiangtian’s kindness, and he couldn’t just reject it.
After a moment of inner conflict, he took the boxes and whispered a soft “thank you.”
“But… don’t do that again, okay? It’s too dangerous. If we lose the money, so be it. But if something happens to you…”
He trailed off, eyes fixed on Chu Xiangtian’s face—soft, worried, and quietly pleading.
Chu Xiangtian clicked his tongue. Regretting the lie a little—he’d basically made himself sound like a thief.
“Alright, alright. No next time,” he said, winking. “Don’t worry. No one saw me.”
That finally relaxed Wen Tian.
After telling him to stash the gold, Chu Xiangtian invited him out to dinner at Fuxi Restaurant.
They followed a waiter to a second-floor window seat.
As Wen Tian browsed the menu, he sneaked glances at Chu Xiangtian and hesitated before saying, “Why don’t I treat you? You’ve helped me so much—I haven’t even properly thanked you.”
Truth was, he knew Fuxi Restaurant was pricey. And Chu Xiangtian, a bandit chief, probably didn’t have deep pockets.
Judging by West Mountain Fortress, he wasn’t exactly rolling in riches. It’d be embarrassing if they couldn’t pay.
Chu Xiangtian, noticing the glances but misreading them, figured Wen Tian just wanted to be polite. So he didn’t argue.
Wen Tian beamed, finally relaxed, and ordered all their signature dishes. “Their Emerald Shrimp is amazing. You have to try it.”
Chu Xiangtian topped off his tea and nodded with a smile.
From across the restaurant, Wei Yang looked up and spotted them.
“Isn’t that Fengzhang?”
Zhou Chuanqing glanced over and nodded.
“Looks like it.”
Wei Yang still hadn’t cooled off from earlier. The moment he saw the culprit sitting comfortably and enjoying a meal, he was instantly furious again.
“Let’s go say hi.”
Zhou Chuanqing tried to stop him, but Wei Yang was already halfway there.
Smiling like they’d bumped into each other by chance, Wei Yang sauntered up to their table.
“Well, if it isn’t Young Master Wen and Young Master Chu.”
Wen Tian stood up nervously.
“Lord Wei…”
He remembered clearly—if it weren’t for Wei Yang arriving with soldiers in time, the Fu family would’ve been doomed. So he was genuinely grateful.
“Lord Wei, are you here to eat too? If you don’t mind, join us. We really owe you for what you did last time.”
Wei Yang thought, Now this is a polite young gentleman—unlike a certain someone. He gave a sidelong glance at the scowling Chu Xiangtian before sitting down with a smirk.
“Well, I won’t refuse, then.”
Zhou Chuanqing arrived just as Chu Xiangtian noticed him. His tone dropped a few degrees.
“Chuanqing, you’re here too?”
Zhou Chuanqing grimaced.
“Just a coincidence…”
Chu Xiangtian narrowed his eyes.
“Perfect. I’ve got something you can help me with.”
Zhou Chuanqing glared at Wei Yang, then reluctantly sat down.
“What is it?”
“Oh, just a small favor.” Chu Xiangtian grinned.
“Young Master Wen wants to take the academy entrance exam. He needs a tutor. I thought of you.”
“…Hmm?”
Zhou Chuanqing blinked, then looked at Wen Tian. After a moment, he smiled.
“I’d be honored.”
His eagerness made Chu Xiangtian suspicious, but he couldn’t find anything wrong.
Wen Tian was surprised. He remembered Chu Xiangtian had said the tutor was a top scorer. Confused, he asked timidly, “Wait… you’re the one who ranked third in the exams?”
Zhou Chuanqing nodded.
“That’s right.”
That year, the competition had been fierce. He and his friend made a bet—whoever ranked higher could ask the other for a favor.
But a dark horse came out of nowhere and snatched the top spot. Zhou got third place (the “Tanhua”), and Wei Yang took second.
In the end, it was a draw. Still, Wei Yang had been so salty about it he joined the Ministry of Justice just to compete.
Unfortunately for him, the top scorer was the real deal—and even now outranked him as Minister.
Every time someone brought it up, Wei Yang nearly exploded.
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