Is the Director General Groveling for His Highness Again? - Chapter 5

His Highness used his teacup.

On the surface, the Office of Imperial Horses merely managed the paddocks and the stables. In reality, it oversaw the capital’s entire defense. Most of the commanders in the defense camps were men under Huang Qing’s thumb. Although Xie Yu and Huang Qing were on decent terms, words alone wouldn’t be enough to convince him to hand over his troops this time.

It required a combination of threat and temptation.

Xie Yu himself provided the “threat,” while Lian Wu, the maid he had requested from the Empress was the “temptation.”

Not long after stepping out of the Hall of Pure Brightness, Xie Yu heard Lian Wu’s sobbing from within. He couldn’t help but let out a cold, self-mocking laugh. Even at the height of his power, he still had to resort to such unscrupulous means to achieve his ends. Despite controlling the Eastern Depot, he had to keep Fu An watching it constantly; Xie Su was lurking in the shadows, waiting to catch him slipping. He couldn’t afford to move his own men unless absolutely necessary.

This time, Lian Wu was the unfortunate sacrifice.

Xie Yu was heading toward the stables with Fu Zhen when they were intercepted halfway by an attendant of the Second Prince.

“Greetings, Director Xie. My master requests the honor of your company for a brief conversation.”

Fu Zhen caught Xie Yu’s eye. Seeing no objection, he accepted on his master’s behalf. Xie Yu decided not to turn back. Since the Empress had already agreed and Lian Wu was in play, Huang Qing likely wouldn’t be able to refuse him for long. However, military power was never easily surrendered.

“Fu Zhen, go to the Eastern Depot and explain the details to Fu An. Have him go to the Office of Imperial Horses in my stead. Once the message is delivered, tell him to meet me at the Second Prince’s manor.”

“Yes, Master.” Fu Zhen knew he wasn’t as sharp as Fu An, but he never resented the fact that his master gave Fu An the heavy responsibilities while keeping him as a personal attendant. A man should know his limits; he was perfectly happy just being by Xie Yu’s side.

***

Xie Yu arrived at the Second Prince’s residence. Though he was technically aligned with the Second Prince, he actually visited this manor far less frequently than he did the Third Prince’s.

The gatekeepers were shrewd. Seeing Xie Yu, they immediately sent word inside, and the steward rushed out to greet him.

“Director Xie, welcome! His Highness has been expecting you. This way, please.”

To anyone other than Qin Hechuan, Xie Yu’s temperament was consistently icy. He never bothered to hide his sinister, ruthless nature from servants, even those belonging to the Second Prince. He walked into the manor with his head held high, looking down on everyone with an air of cold superiority.

Accustomed to this behavior, the steward simply bowed lower, leading him in with a flattering smile.

“Your Highness, Director Xie has arrived.”

“Send him in.”

Upon entering, Xie Yu didn’t rush to pay his respects. Instead, he stepped forward, circled around Qin Jing’s table, and gave a shallow, perfunctory bow the kind where the knees barely bent.

Qin Jingchuan didn’t take offence. He closed his book and gestured for Xie Yu to sit at a side table with a smile. “I heard the Director visited the Empress today?”

“Indeed. I have only recently taken command of the Eastern Depot, and thanks to Your Highness’s support, it was only right that I thank the Empress for her grace.”

Xie Yu took a sip of tea with total composure. In front of Qin Jingchuan, he showed none of the submissiveness he displayed elsewhere. His tone was detached; he didn’t yet know the Third Prince’s true stance toward his brother and didn’t want to inadvertently ruin any of his master’s plans.

Qin Jingchuan, however, seemed to see right through him. “It’s for that boy Lin Wu’an, isn’t it? It makes sense. If he doesn’t secure a post now that he’s back in the capital, he’ll be sent back to the border soon enough.”

Xie Yu was internally surprised but kept his face a mask of indifference. Seeing Xie Yu’s silence, Qin Jingchuan remained unruffled.

“Is the Director wondering how I knew?”

“Your Highness is of noble birth, a son of heaven. It is no surprise that you are all-knowing.” Xie Yu offered the compliment with a hollow face, thinking to himself that the Prince simply had spies planted around him.

Qin Jingchuan laughed heartily at the remark. After a moment, he said, “Did you hear that, Third Brother?”

At the mention of “Third Brother,” Xie Yu’s demeanor shifted instantly. He stood up, adopting an air of profound respect, and looked toward the source of the voice.

His Highness stepped out from behind a screen. As his boots brushed against the hem of his cobalt-blue robes, the fabric seemed to shimmer like gold in Xie Yu’s eyes. Xie Yu could hardly restrain the urge to rush forward and kneel at his feet, but the presence of the Second Prince made him hesitate, unsure of how to act.

Qin Hechuan’s next words gave him the opening he needed.

“What? Does the Director no longer know how to greet me?”

Xie Yu understood immediately. Ignoring the Second Prince’s gaze, he knelt properly and prostrated himself, his spine yielding with total supplication.

“Your Highness, your servant Xie Yu offers his greetings.”

When speaking to Qin Hechuan, Xie Yu’s voice instinctively took on a melodic, operatic lilt, sounding far more pleasant than it ever did in his daily dealings.

Qin Hechuan didn’t tell him to rise immediately. He walked over and sat beside his brother, picking up the cup on the table and taking a sip. It was the very cup Xie Yu had just used. Having watched from behind the screen, Qin Hechuan knew this perfectly well, yet he showed no hesitation in using the same vessel.

“Rise.”

Xie Yu hadn’t dared look up while kneeling, but as he rose, he caught sight of His Highness lowering the teacup from his lips. In an instant, his composure shattered. Every calculated thought he had used to deal with the Second Prince vanished, replaced by a single, dizzying realization.

His Highness used his cup.

Does that mean his lips touched where mine?

The thought left Xie Yu in a daze. Qin Hechuan seemed oblivious, casually swirling the tea in the cup. His long fingers brushed against the rim, and Xie Yu began to hallucinate that those fingers were instead brushing against his own lips.

He felt he was truly losing his mind. How could a “thing” like him a monstrosity, dare to desecrate such a noble being with these thoughts?

“Director Xie? Director Xie?”

Qin Jingchuan called out several times before Xie Yu snapped out of it. Finding both Princes staring at him, Xie Yu panicked. With a loud thud, he dropped to his knees again.

Qin Hechuan wondered privately: He just stood up, why is he on the floor again?

“The Director is far too polite. Please, rise and take a seat,” Qin Jingchuan said.

Before Qin Hechuan arrived, Xie Yu had sat as an equal. But now that his heart’s desire was present, how could he dare put on the airs of a Director?

“While the two Princes are speaking, it is only right that I remain at your side to serve. I could not possibly presume to sit at the same table.” Xie Yu’s voice was soft and submissive, devoid of its usual sharp edge. In front of Qin Hechuan, he was as docile as a lamb.

From that interaction, Xie Yu realized the Third Prince considered the Second Prince an ally. He dropped the pretense of distance, and his sudden transformation into a fawning, obedient servant left Qin Jingchuan stunned.

“The Director is remarkably adept at knowing his place,” Qin Jingchuan remarked after a long pause. He couldn’t understand how the man who was just acting like a cold superior could turn into a lapdog the moment Hechuan appeared.

Qin Hechuan didn’t entertain his brother’s commentary. He turned to Xie Yu to clarify their alliance. “My second brother and I are of the same mother. He has helped me many times. Since the Director has already aligned himself with my brother, you must serve him with your full heart and soul.”

“Yes, your servant understands.” Xie Yu was clever; he knew this meant the two Princes were in the same boat. From now on, the Second Prince’s orders carried the weight of the Third’s.

Xie Yu stepped forward to refill the Third Prince’s tea. But as he brought the pot close, Qin Hechuan reached out and moved his cup away. Xie Yu looked at him, confused.

“With my elder brother present, how could you possibly serve me first?”

With that single sentence, Xie Yu immediately turned. He lowered his body, cast his eyes down, and moved to pour tea for the Second Prince.

Qin Jingchuan said nothing. He watched silently as Xie Yu filled the cup. The water wasn’t scalding, but it was still quite hot. Xie Yu held the cup out to Qin Jingchuan, but after a long moment, the Prince made no move to take it.

Confused, Xie Yu straightened up and looked at Qin Jingchuan. The Prince’s eyes held a mixture of amusement and coldness. Normally, if someone had slighted him like this, Xie Yu would have dashed the tea in their face. But with the Third Prince watching, he couldn’t move.

Before he could figure out what was happening, the Third Prince spoke from behind him.

“Kneel. Offer the tea.”

Qin Hechuan looked at Xie Yu’s bewildered face with a touch of exasperation. He kneels when he shouldn’t and doesn’t when he should.

Xie Yu wasn’t truly stupid. He understood the subtext: the Third Prince wanted him to acknowledge the Second Prince as a master, to serve him with total devotion.

But the only master he wanted was Qin Hechuan.

Xie Yu looked back at Hechuan, his reluctance written plainly across his face. But Qin Hechuan remained unmoved. Qin Jingchuan sat back to enjoy the show, offering no help.

“Did the Director not hear me?” Qin Hechuan’s voice was smiling, but the temperature had dropped. Terror gripped Xie Yu’s heart. He didn’t dare question him further.

He repeated the formal greeting he had given the Third Prince, this time for Qin Jingchuan. He held the teacup above his head with both hands. The porcelain began to cool in his grip, yet Qin Jingchuan remained silent, letting him hang there in humiliation.

This time, Xie Yu knew exactly what Qin Jingchuan was waiting for. He didn’t want to make the Third Prince angry, so he forced the words out.

“Your servant, Xie Yu, offers tea to the Second Prince. Please, Your Highness… accept.”

The words felt like they were being squeezed out of his throat, but he said them. Behind him, Qin Hechuan held the cup Xie Yu had used, saying nothing.

Finally, Qin Jingchuan showed mercy. He reached out, took the tea, had a sip, and told him to rise. Xie Yu stepped back two paces, his eyes darting toward Qin Hechuan. The look of utter grievance in his gaze was impossible to hide.

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