The sound of crisp and persistent knocking awoke Yan Yixuan from his sleep. He yawned and stood up, absently grabbing an outer robe to pull over his night clothes before he opened the door.

Ruan Shu’s steady countenance greeted him, a lantern hanging from a stick carried in his hand. “Master, they’ve made a move as you expected.”

Yan Yixuan was instantly awake. “Did anyone get hurt?” he asked as he walked back into his room and began making himself more presentable.

Ruan Shu shook his head. “No, the guards you stationed nearby handled everything too quickly for our guests to have time to even make contact.”

In the midst of brushing his hair, Yan Yixuan scoffed. “I expected it would be like that. That Lin brothers’ trio isn’t the type to be careful.”

Within minutes, Yan Yixuan was ready and marching with Ruan Shu towards his sister’s courtyard. On the way, he glanced at Ning Wei’s door and said, “Make sure no one wakes the general with noise in the middle of the night today.”

Ruan Shu sighed. “The general is at the scene too. He said he was unable to sleep and was taking a walk when the commotion occurred, so he came over to see if he could help us. It’s not the first sleepless night he’s had.”

Yan Yixuan frowned worriedly. “Does he often have trouble sleeping?”

“Yes. He sometimes strolls around, but he trains more often. I join him when I have the energy. I suppose his restlessness is something left over from the war,” Ruan Shu guessed.

“The next time he’s up at night, ask him if he wants us to arrange a sleeping draught for him.”

Ruan Shu nodded. “I’ll see to it.”

They soon reached Yan Yiwen’s courtyard and made their way around it to the back. The crescent moon above barely cast any light, so servants held lanterns to illuminate the scene.

Three sturdily built men were tied up thoroughly and laid on the ground, squirming like maggots as they tried to escape. Servants holding lanterns stood in a rough circle around the spectacle, silently watching with sharp gazes. Yan Yixuan’s sister, Yan Yiwen, and her husband, Lin Changyuan, stood by the back porch, looking confused as to what was happening. Thankfully, their daughter, Lin Meihui, was under the charge of Master Jin and staying with him currently. Ning Wei stood further away, his arms folded and feet apart as he gazed at the three squirming Lin brothers on the ground with amusement.

Yan Yixuan walked straight to Yan Yiwen and asked, “Elder Sister, are you alright? Can you tell me what happened?”

Yan Yiwen nodded. “We’re fine. We heard strange sounds coming from outside as if people were trying to sneak around, so Changyuan shut the window tightly. Someone soon reached the window and began fiddling with it. I can only assume that they were trying to open it. But before they could succeed, they yelled out in alarm, then we heard the thumps of people falling down and sounds of struggling. We cautiously opened the window a bit and saw my brothers-in-law being tied up by the servants. Since there didn’t seem to be any danger, we came out to see what happened.”

Lin Changyuan tightened his arm around his wife and shot a blisteringly furious gaze at his brothers. He knew exactly what happened! He only needed one look at the knives they’d strapped to their waists to understand that his three brothers had been trying to kill him and his wife in their sleep, probably to steal their allowances and belongings since the duke had cancelled their own allowance.

Murderous intent welled in Lin Changyuan’s heart, but he quickly suppressed it. No, this was not his house. He would leave this to his brother-in-law to handle as he saw fit.

Yan Yixuan had walked up to the three restrained brothers by now and asked mildly. “Can one of you explain what you were doing here at this time of the hour with knives and why you tried to force open your brother’s and sister-in-law’s window?”

Lin Zhixin, the brother with the mole, stopped squirming and pretended to be dead. Lin Zhiming, the one with the beard, shot an angry look at Lin Changyuan as if asking why he wasn’t helping them out of this situation. Lin Zhishan, the brother with the scar, looked up at Yan Yixuan haughtily and said, “This is a matter between people of the Lin family. Outsiders like you shouldn’t butt in.”

Yan Yixuan graced them with a pleasant smile. “Oh? But I’m afraid you made it my business when you targeted my sister and her husband, then tried to carry out your ridiculous scheme in my household. Of course, the fact that you assisted a certain somebody’s attempt at assassinating me might also make this my business.”

The three brothers could only gape at the cavalier way in which the young man revealed this information. So he’d known what they did all along?!

Lin Changyuan and Yan Yiwen were also shocked. They didn’t know that these three idiotic relatives of theirs had done something so coldblooded. But seeing that Yan Yixuan was obviously unharmed, they heaved breaths of relief and laid their worries to rest. But new anger budded in their chest towards the trio.

Yan Yixuan turned to Lin Changyuan. “Brother-in-law, since they are your brothers, I don’t want to overstep my bounds. Will you permit me to discipline them and make them face the lawful consequences of their actions?”

The three brothers couldn’t see it, but Lin Changyuan could clearly make out the cold glint in the young man’s eyes.

Lin Zhixin scoffed. “What are you talking about? He’s our little brother! Of course he won’t let you lay a hand on his family! He knows better than to disrespect his elders.”

Yan Yixuan continued to look at Lin Changyuan for an answer as if not hearing him.

Lin Changyuan pressed his lips together, his eyes turning deep with complex emotions and painful memories.

A long time ago, his family had been rich and well-respected blacksmiths. There was not a household in their village that didn’t look up to them. But his parents pampered their first three sons too much and turned them rotten. As the three brothers grew up, they squandered away the money carelessly with gambling, useless ventures, and in the pleasure quarters.

Lin Changyuan was born fourteen years after his third brother, Lin Zhixin. The eldest brother, Lin Zhishan, was already in his twenties by then. The Lin family’s wealth had begun declining steadily before then since their aging father couldn’t work as much anymore. But the three brothers still continued to spend as if they were rich and refused to work. Due to a cold that grew in complications, their mother fell grievously ill and needed large amounts of medication to keep living. With no choice, the youngest son, Lin Changyuan, was made to bear the burden of earning at a young age.

His father taught him the basics of blacksmithing. Seeing his son’s talent in weaponsmithing, Father Lin let him apprentice at a famous weaponsmith acquaintance’s forge in another town. After learning as much as he could, Lin Changyuan came back home only to see it almost dilapidated.

He learned from the villagers that his mother once heard his older brothers, her three darling sons that she’d pampered and loved with all her heart, discussing about intercepting the money their father paid for her medicine. The three brothers wanted to let her die and instead use the money to fuel their gambling addiction. Unable to bear it, she passed away due to heartbreak.

Their father’s situation was just as worse. He was unable to work now, and the three brothers pitilessly denied him food and refused to take care of him in his old age. They instead tried to sell off as much of his blacksmithing equipment as they could to live on in hedonism. No matter how much their father begged or screamed at them to leave his precious instruments alone, they didn’t listen.

Understanding everything, Lin Changyuan worked hard and bought back all of his father’s equipment that had been callously sold by his brothers and acquired a few new ones, then started weaponsmithing in his father’s forge. But his three brothers began regularly coming to gang up on and beat him before taking away his earnings. It was all Lin Changyuan could do to hide some money for his and his father’s food. Soon, unable to bear reality, his father passed away as well. Lin Changyuan was the only one left to arrange his funeral and mourn.

One day, he was modifying all the window bars and frames in the employ of an affluent household when he met Yan Yiwen. She was visiting the household with her parents and was staying there temporarily. Over the course of the next few days as Lin Changyuan continued to work in that household, they slowly fell in love.

Lin Changyuan learned how even though Yan Yiwen was from a prominent household in the capital, her life wasn’t much easier than his own. But with her secretive help in providing him some money from her monthly allowance, he was able to make ends meet and keep food in his belly despite his brothers snatching almost all his earnings away.

Then Yan Yiwen became unexpectedly pregnant. Since she feared for the life of their unborn child, Lin Changyuan took her in. Hiding and selling Yan Yiwen’s jewellery on the side, they made do somehow until the child was born. With a wife and daughter to support now, Lin Changyuan gained the courage to stand up to his brothers and wrestle away small amounts of his money from them. But life was still harsh.

Sometimes, the three brothers would get drunk with Lin Changyuan’s earnings then barge into his house to throw things around, beat whoever they could lay their hands on, or try to molest Yan Yiwen. There were times the brutish brothers even beat Lin Meihui before her frantic parents could get her away. The family’s life was horrible, but for the three Lin brothers, all this was just some fun. Squeezing their youngest brother’s hard earned money out of his hands and leaving his family starving was, in their perspective, nothing more than their brother doing his duty to help out his elders.

Lin Changyuan had borne and borne them until he felt like his mind was breaking. He had been able to live such a life under their hands, exploited and fearing every second, but he would rather die than see his family living like this too. Being able to experience a leisurely life in his brother-in-law’s house for the past few weeks had been like a surreal dream. He always expected his brothers to barge in and make trouble, but the servants never let them even cross his sight for more than a few seconds.

After being allowed this reprieve, Lin Changyuan wanted to hope for more, he wanted to hope that he could finally be free. He would do anything as long as he and his family could be rid of those parasitic brothers of his!

Now, seeing the cold promise in his brother-in-law’s eyes, Lin Changyuan felt that his wish might come true sooner than expected. Opening his lips, he finally asked, “If I give them over to you, will it mean that we’ll never have to see them again?”

Yan Yixuan smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

His eyes burning with fire, Lin Changyuan said, “Then I would like you to discipline them as much as you are able and make them pay.”

The three brothers immediately lost their composure.

“Changyuan!” Lin Zhixin yelled.

“You dare?!” Lin Zhiming screeched.

“Is this how you treat your brothers? Your own flesh and blood?!” Lin Zhishan growled with displeasure.

Lin Changyuan sneered. “Where was this consideration of flesh and blood when you all caused our parents’ deaths and beat me up to steal my earnings? Where were these considerations when you hurt my family again and again? After everything, I’d be daft to let someone as ungrateful and malicious as you roam free.”

Lin Zhishan gritted his teeth. “If you have to blame someone, blame our parents! They’re the ones that didn’t teach us right from wrong or whatever. How were we supposed to know without their guidance?”

Lin Changyuan clenched his hands into fists, unable to say anything to that. He himself had thought along those lines plenty of times. Why hadn’t his parents done better? Why didn’t they teach their first three sons properly, instead placing the entire burden of their mistakes and poor choices on him alone? Why did everyone else in his family get to enjoy at least a small period of prosperity while all he knew was poverty? In the end, wasn’t it all because of their parents?

Seeing her husband looking as if he couldn’t answer, Yan Yiwen stepped up and retorted to Lin Zhishan with a sneer, “You’re not children to always blame your choices on others. If you’re adults, then you should take responsibility for your actions, apologize, and agree to make it up. But if you insist on acting childishly, then you can just sit there and accept your punishment obediently like children too.”

Lin Changyuan’s mind cleared. Yes, what his wife said was completely right. His parents might have made poor choices, but so had his brothers. And they continued to make them to this day despite knowing the consequences. They were more to blame for their doings than anyone else.

Losing his patience, Lin Zhishan burst out, “Fuck you! Fuck you all! What do you think you’ll do to us, huh? You can only call the authorities over and hand us in without proof!”

Lin Zhiming came alive from beside him. “That’s right. You can do nothing, ha!”

Hearing his brothers’ words, Lin Zhixin grinned simplemindedly. “We’ll be free soon then!” Turning to Lin Changyuan, he cautioned darkly, “You better watch out, you ungrateful brat, because we’ll make you pay!”

Lin Changyuan and Yan Yiwen looked at them uneasily. Would they really come back? Would they never be rid from them?

Ning Wei’s cold chuckle cut through the tense atmosphere. “They really are very optimistic, aren’t they?” he commented casually to Yan Yixuan from across the space.

The young man smiled at him. “Yes, they are indeed too cheerful for people who are about to have their lives destroyed.” Turning to the servants, he spoke, “Our honored guests have stepped too far out of bounds, so we are going to give them some of our special, educational hospitality. Someone please fetch a whip to be used on our three guests. Ah, and I will also need volunteers to hold them down while they are being whipped one by one, twenty lashes each.”

Lin Changyuan and Yan Yiwen looked at him wide-eyed. Lin Changyuan was relieved that his brother-in-law seemed determined to not let them get away easily. Yan Yiwen just decided to not say anything to impede her younger brother further, even if she was unsure whether what he was going to do was legal.

As the three Lin brothers screamed and howled obscenities on the ground, the servants calmly began carrying out their orders efficiently. Someone even brought out a bench where the lashings could be administered, along with some water and cloth to clean out the blood from the whip between uses.

Ning Wei felt that their silent and emotionless way of preparing for something as brutal as a whipping was slightly creepy.

“Ruan Shu,” Yan Yixuan called. Rubbing his chin, he asked contemplatively, “Which of our people do you think is most suitable to wield the whip?”

“I’d like to volunteer,” Ning Wei declared.

Yan Yixuan smiled. “I’ll count on you then.” At his nod, a servant offered the instrument to Ning Wei.

The general cracked the whip and nodded approvingly. Then walking towards the nearest Lin brother, Lin Zhixin, Ning Wei used the handle of the whip to lift his chin, studying him curiously as if he were a bug. “I only have experience with disciplining errant soldiers, so I might use too much force out of habit.”

Lin Zhixin went pale and flinched back, falling onto the ground. He continued to wriggle in an attempt to get away from Ning Wei. The general only looked amused as he let him go.

Sensing that Yan Yixuan was really going to have the whipping carried out, Lin Zhiming flusteredly protested, “You can’t do this! All you have proof of is us trespassing into this place! It doesn’t justify this severe of a punishment!”

Yan Yixuan shrugged blithely. “Then I’ll just have the proof of you three assisting the one who wanted to kill me added to some charges of thievery.”

“But we didn’t steal anything!” Lin Zhixin wailed. It wasn’t for lack of trying on his part, but because the servants were simply too keen-eyed.

Yan Yixuan chuckled. “Oh? But several employees of this household witnessed you trying to steal things.” Turning to his servants at large, he asked, “Didn’t you?”

The servants all nodded as one and answered, “Yes.”

Some even began listing off the instances that they’d seen:

“I spotted the guest with the mole trying to steal a censer.”

“The one with the beard once attempted to hide away a tea cup.”

 “One of them tried to make off with a priceless vase on display at the main house.”

“The guest with the mole tried to remove a painting from the wall.”

“They attempted to steal the jade dragon carving mounted on the pillar near the front entrance.”

As the accusations kept coming, the three brothers bitterly regretted being too greedy and trying too many times. They should have given up when they got caught the first time! But how were they supposed to know that the servants would remember every single of their attempts and that the brat would threaten to use it against them like this?

Just then, the young boy that the Lin brothers had once poured boiling hot soup on and kicked to the floor stepped forward. With relish, he offered, “I saw them poking around the carriage the Master took out that day. After the assassination attempt, I even overheard them discussing about how the plan failed and that they received instructions to behave as if nothing was wrong by the mastermind behind them.”

Seeing their hopes of getting free crushed like this by the servant they had once ridiculed and abused, the three brothers could only grit their teeth and bear it. They couldn’t think of anything to say for a while.

Lin Zhixin finally couldn’t hold his tongue anymore and yelled, “Even then, that’s only their word! There’s still no evidence!”

But Yan Yixuan merely laughed. “So what? You want me to let you steal something to obtain proof? Fine then. I’ll have the servants also plant all the listed things in your rooms for the authorities to find when they come to search for evidence later.”

The three brothers grew fearful. Lin Zhiming tried to refute, “But it still doesn’t mean you can punish us by whipping…”

Yan Yixuan’s eyes gleamed with cheer as he replied, “Oh, but I indeed can. There is a small, old, and seldom-used provision in our empire’s law that states that a thief that has been proven to seek to steal valuables from a noble household can be detained and punished with force by the head of household as long as said punishment doesn’t render the thief dead or permanently disabled. Of course, I’m still required to hand you over to the authorities afterward, but living in prison with your back torn open isn’t going to be fun for you.”

Ning Wei grinned. “Now, that’s a barbaric but fair law. And don’t worry, I definitely won’t give them the excuse of being disabled. I’ll just make sure that it will hurt them a lot.”

“I’m much obliged,” the young man returned.

The three brothers grew stiff with fear. It finally sank in that they couldn’t escape this. Once they were tortured with that whip, they would be thrown into prison and rot there for the rest of their lives. All the luxuries and comforts that they’d gotten used to, that they’d enjoyed at the expense of others, would be gone. There’d be no freedom, no entertainment, and no pleasure in their lives anymore. Thinking about such a bleak future was unbearable!

Lin Zhixin’s face crumpled with hopelessness and he began to cry noisily. Lin Zhishan desperately wracked his mind for any way out of this, even if it meant he had to sacrifice his brothers. Lin Zhiming turned to the only one he thought could help him and pleaded, “Little Brother, you can’t want this! We’re the only family you have left! You have to help us! Don’t just stand there and watch! SAVE ME!”

Lin Changyuan remained impassive while Yan Yiwen reached out to hold her husband’s hand.

Realizing that he was forsaken, Lin Zhiming’s bearded face twitched. Veins bulged out of his forehead and neck, pulsing angrily. Rising upright to his knees, he shouted at his youngest brother, “You bastard! You cowardly, betraying, hardhearted piece of rotting shit! So this is how you treat your family? I hope you die in a gutter and get eaten by worms!”

Then turning his furious gaze to Yan Yiwen, Lin Zhiming roared, “And you! You fucking whore! You made him like this! He was nice and obedient before you and your filthy little mutt of a daughter came and ruined it! You deserve to get fucked to death by a group of grimy men in a dirty brothel, you bitch! I hope your stupid daughter grows up to become a toy for bald old men and you get to see her be―”

A sudden, hard kick from Yan Yixuan made the shouting man topple down sideways onto the ground, interrupting him. Lin Zhiming looked up defiantly, but the icy rage sharpening the young man’s gaze made him keep his mouth shut.

The entire place was still and silent as death. Lin Changyuan and Yan Yiwen clutched at each other, their shoulders curving inwards and their faces tensed.

Expressionlessly, Yan Yixuan walked around to the other side of the prone man and stomped down on his head, pinning it to the ground. Lin Zhiming cried out as his skull groaned under the pressure of the booted foot.

Yan Yixuan’s voice was frighteningly cold, “Who gave you the right to act so obnoxiously in my household and speak like that about my family? I can squash your head and splatter your pathetic brains right now for that offense if I want to.”

Yan Yixuan’s foot bore down with more force. Lin Zhiming yelped and whimpered as he struggled on the ground. He somehow managed to get free from under the young man’s boot and tried to crawl away, but Yan Yixuan’s foot accurately landed on his shoulder next. The young man put his weight into it and dug his heel in.

“Ahhh!” Lin Zhiming screamed, the sound guttural and chilling. He felt the joint in his shoulder trying to squeeze itself out of its socket, his ligaments stretching and bone creaking. The pain was like a thick, hot spike piercing through the center of his joint and sending out waves of unbearable agony. He shuddered, tears spilling out of his eyes as he begged and blubbered unintelligibly for mercy.

Unaffected, Yan Yixuan warned, “Keep in mind that I can end your inconsequential lives without even having to lift a finger. And once I get rid of you, I have plenty of ways to hide your rotting carcasses so that they will never be found afterward. Not that anyone would look for you vermin anyway.” The young man removed his foot and continued coldly, “But unfortunately for you, I’m not going to be merciful enough to end your misery so soon.”

Yan Yixuan turned to Ning Wei. “General, if you will.”

Ning Wei nodded and smiled cheerfully at the three Lin brothers. “Let’s get started then.”

Lin Zhiming had curled up on the ground and was shuddering with sobs after being hurt by Yan Yixuan. The other two brothers wriggled as they tried to get away, but the servants held them down firmly. Lin Zhixin’s and Lin Zhishan’s faces showed their open terror as they looked at Yan Yixuan and Ning Wei, regret overflowing in their hearts.

Lin Zhishan tried to appeal to Yan Yixuan, “Please, let us go. I’ll do anything, anything at all! Just let me go and don’t hurt me!”

Lin Zhixin just stared with huge eyes at the whip as the general stretched it between in his hands.

Neither Yan Yixuan nor Ning Wei paid the pleas any mind, though Ning Wei did throw an annoyed expression at Lin Zhishan. He decided that this brother who was bothering Yan Yixuan with his whining would be punished first.

With a gesture from him, the servants understood and dragged Lin Zhishan towards the bench and held him down on it. His robes were ripped open at the back to give the whip an unobstructed path. Lin Zhishan’s body trembled with fear.

“Clench your jaws if you don’t want to bite your tongue by mistake,” Ning Wei kindly advised before he brought the whip down.

Lin Zhishan’s howl rent the air.

The whistle of the whip and the sound of it striking flesh sounded again and again, closely followed by shrieks and wails. No matter how much Lin Zhishan squirmed to try and escape the pain, the servants’ hold on him didn’t budge until his punishment was done.

Lin Zhiming was brought in next, and then it was Lin Zhixin’s turn.

Ning Wei landed powerful and precise strikes, each motion of the whip deliberate and aimed to deliver maximum pain and fear to each of the three brothers. Yet his movements looked effortless and simple. His face remained perfectly impassive even as droplets of red stained his hand and sleeve, but his eyes burned fiercely with satisfaction.

These people had tried to hurt and kill Yan Yixuan. They had even tried to kill the people under the young man’s protection, a harmless little family with a little daughter that these disgusting brothers aimed to prostitute and make money off of. Ning Wei wanted to make them dearly pay for even thinking of harming his friend and his family. And now that he got a chance to vent his anger so openly, he was more than a bit happy.

Lin Changyuan and Yan Yiwen watched the whipping silently, their arms wound around the other as if they were both taking and offering support from their spouse.

Yan Yixuan gazed more at the way Ning Wei moved than at the miserable picture the brothers’ bloody backs provided. The young man’s eyes lovingly traced his beloved’s form as the general expelled his fury.

Meanwhile, the servants of the Yan household formed a wide circle around the bench as the three brothers were being punished and watched silently. Their expressions were perfectly polite and neutral. This was how they had looked when they boiled with fury on the inside as these three men made trouble for their master, acted arrogant, and took advantage of their household. Now, as they felt glad and avenged at witnessing these vile people punished, they bore the same emotionless and distant look.

The servants of the current Yan household were very protective of their master and obeyed him unconditionally. After all, most of them were helped out of tough situations and invited to work here by Yan Yixuan himself or by Ruan Shu on his behalf. Even their families were taken care of well and helped by Yan Yixuan. The old servants who the young man retained from the previous generation were those who had shown sympathy to him or helped him even though he had been unfavored at that time. Anyone chosen by him to serve in the household now were those that he personally gauged as trustworthy.

All the servants of the household were trained and paid well, treated with proper courtesy, and enjoyed the care of Yan Yixuan. As such, they all respected and felt protective towards their master, and they naturally felt the same towards the sister he loved.

Thus, they watched silently as the ones who tormented them and their master’s family suffered for their mistakes.

The three Lin brothers implored and groveled and screeched as the skin on their back was ripped open bit by bit. Blood splattered outward and skin split apart to reveal slick ropes of bloodied muscles and even stark bones underneath. If the pain or blood loss caused one of the brothers to faint, a servant standing at the ready nearby would splash them with a bucket of cold water to wake them up so that they could experience the torment fully. The vicious swinging of the whip and the harsh bite of the lash didn’t stop its assault until Ning Wei had administered precisely twenty lashes to each of them.

When it was finally over, Ning Wei halted. His chest heaved a little, a thin layer of sweat covering his forehead. He stood with his legs braced apart and his arms held slightly away from his body. The whip in his hand dripped thick reddish liquid. The three quivering bodies lying in the ground near him had strips of skin hanging down their back as raw red meat glistened within.

Ning Wei turned to Yan Yixuan. “It’s done.”

The young man nodded and looked at Yan Yiwen. “Elder Sister, you once instructed me that your three brothers-in-law were to be handed over to the authorities and that my retaliation on them should end with them remaining alive and in prison. I have satisfied your conditions.”

Yan Yiwen stared at her brother uncomprehendingly, not expecting him to have taken her words so seriously. But since he had followed what she said, she gave him a nod of approval.

Yan Yixuan turned to Lin Changyuan. “Are you content with this conclusion, Brother-in-law? If you agree, those three will be taken by my servants to be handed over to the bailiffs.”

Lin Changyuan nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Brother Yan.”

Yan Yixuan paused a moment at this new way of address, then smiled. It seemed he’d finally earned the regard of his sister’s husband. He looked at Ruan Shu and said, “Can you please take care of having them imprisoned at the judiciary office and the clean-up here? Ah, and I’d appreciate it if you could send up a bath for General Ning to freshen up in.”

Ruan Shu bowed. “Yes, Master. Please leave it to us.”

Yan Yixuan turned and gestured to the general. “Ning Wei, shall we walk together partway? Our rooms are in the same direction.”

Ning Wei gave the young man a small smile and said teasingly, “Of course. How can I refuse such charming company?”

Yan Yixuan chuckled and the pair began heading towards their rooms. Dawn was beginning to lighten the sky, painting it with tender colors.

It was the start of another beautiful day.

↢∘●∘↣

After taking care of some work, Yan Yixuan exited his study and decided to stretch his legs a little. As he walked towards the garden, he spotted Ning Wei leaning against a tree and looking at the entrance to this part of the courtyard as if waiting for him.

Yan Yixuan blinked. “Ning Wei, is there anything you want to talk about?”

The general straightened and started striding alongside the young man. “What makes you think so?”

“From the beginning, most of our conversations have started with you asking me questions. It was an easy guess.”

The general chuckled. “And you guessed right.”

Yan Yixuan cast him a wry glance. “What questions do you have for me today, then?”

“It’s about what happened yesterday night,” Ning Wei said. “That was a very direct way of handling the problem of those three brothers-in-law. I thought you’d plot and use a more subtle, unobvious way of dealing with them.”

The young man shook his head. “If I did that, the lesson would be completely lost on that thickheaded lot. They needed to be disciplined brutally while being told exactly what they were being punished for, or they would never figure it out on their own. After all, in their little minds, nothing they do is culpable and everyone is supposed to just let them have their way. I needed them to understand who it is that punished them and on whose behalf. At least they’ll know who to fear then.”

Ning Wei nodded thoughtfully. “That does make sense.”

“Is there anything else you need from me?” Yan Yixuan asked.

“In a way.” Ning Wei stopped.

Yan Yixuan halted as well and looked back at him, confused. The general’s gaze showed both gentleness and amusement. He extended his arms and enfolded a surprised Yan Yixuan into an embrace.

The young man stiffened, but didn’t push him away. “Uh…N-Ning Wei?”

Ning Wei chuckled. “I’ve been made to realize that I should have given you a hug yesterday to comfort you. I’m not very good at this, but I’ve decided to make up for my oversight.”

Yan Yixuan felt his face heating and tried to push the general away.

Ning Wei let go and teased, “Am I that bad at hugging?”

Rather than answering, Yan Yixuan quickly scurried to stand behind the general and wrapped his arms around the older man’s midriff, his face pressing into his back.

Ning Wei, “…”

Ning Wei looked down at the arms wound around his middle and asked with puzzlement, “What is this supposed to mean?”

The general felt the increased heat from Yan Yixuan’s face seep into his back as the young man admitted, “I’m not quite used to hugs, so I felt a little…embarrassed to be hugged from the front. It’s more comfortable for me this way.” And he’d be able to hide his reaction to being embraced by his beloved more easily.

Ning Wei chuckled and patted the arms wrapped around him. “Is it because it affords you more control?”

Yan Yixuan thought for a moment, then shrugged. “It might be.”

Ning Wei felt a small, fond smile claiming his lips. As the heat from the young man’s body soaked into his back, the general felt his heartbeat inexplicably begin to quicken. He decided he rather liked being hugged like this.

Ruan Shu’s voice abruptly intruded into the relaxed atmosphere, “Master, why do you look like a panda that has discovered a particularly delicious stalk of bamboo and refuses to let go so that no one can steal it?”

Yan Yixuan tightened his hold on Ning Wei and said playfully, “Yes, this is my stalk of tasty bamboo. I’m not letting go.”

Ning Wei chuckled and patted the young man’s forearms. “Alright, enough joking. Why don’t you see what important news your assistant has?”

Ruan Shu smiled wryly. He knew that his master hadn’t really been joking.

Yan Yixuan reluctantly unwound his arms and turned to Ruan Shu. “What is it?”

“I’ve come to report that the matter with the three oldest Lin brothers is completed. The authorities have accepted our explanation. One of them is waiting to clarify a few small matters with you, Sister Yiwen, and her husband. They’re all currently waiting in Sister Yiwen’s courtyard.”

The young man sighed. “I’ll go and see to it, then.”

After Yan Yixuan was out of sight, Ruan Shu turned to Ning Wei with a smirk. “General, I see that you took my comment about hugging him seriously. Thank you.”

Feeling as if he was caught doing something uncharacteristic, Ning Wei harrumphed and groused, “Stop looking so smug.” The general then turned around and left.

Standing alone, Ruan Shu laughed quietly and murmured to himself, “Oh, these two are absolutely adorable.”