“Shall we show them how a play should be done, My Lord?” Mo Shen whispered with a mischievous smile.

“You dragged me here. Now you want me to waste my energy to act?” Xue Lan rejected Mo Shen with his eyes.

“Aren’t you curious about what is up with the Emperor after our little drama with Tang Zhuo?” Mo Shen persuaded. “He never visits your courtyard afterwards and people thought you lose his favour.”

Xue Lan hummed in thought.

Was that why Qing Meilin made a ridiculous act like this?

Still, he didn’t fall for it, “You spied on him day in and day out. Why should I be curious?”

“Because I won’t tell you?” Mo Shen smirked.

Xue Lan’s eye twitched in irk, “You–”

“Your Majesty,” they heard Yang Huo speak up and turned to see him pointing at them, “this guard requests to call out the 2 witnesses over there to clarify the truth of this matter.”

Tian Chen and everyone else turned around to look at where he was pointing. Those with good eyesight could make out the two people’s silhouette.

“I guess you have no choice now, My Lord,” Mo Shen was satisfied with Yang Huo’s unintentional assistance.

Xue Lan was the exact opposite and flatly said, “Next time you’re doing him, make it an exhibition show.”

“I’ve already planned that a long time ago,” Mo Shen grabbed Xue Lan’s waist and jumped down.

Hearing it, Yang Huo instantly shuddered. He inwardly started planning his escape from Mo Shen.

Mo Shen grabbed onto the branch with one hand before dropping down soundlessly. When his eyes met with Tian Chen, he could see the deep hatred and jealousy within him.

It made him want to abuse him more.

“What are you doing?” Xue Lan found that Mo Shen wasn’t letting him go.

Mo Shen lifted him up by his knee and carried him to where Yang Huo, Tian Chen, and everyone else was, “Let’s just say you are afraid of heights and your knees are too weaken from fear to stand.”

Xue Lan sensed Mo Shen’s excited mood and decided to play along once in a while. He made sure to remind him, “Don’t do anything excessive.”

“When have I ever been excessive?” Mo Shen shamelessly said.

Xue Lan, “…”

Since forever?

The two of them arrived by Tian Chen’s side. Mo Shen put Xue Lan down and held him by his waist and hand to bow together in greeting.

Tian Chen’s eyes were immediately on Mo Shen’s hand on Xue Lan’s waist and the two’s interconnected hands.

Now that he observed them closely, they were indeed too intimate for master and servant. He always disregarded it since Xue Lan needed Mo Shen’s assistance, but they didn’t need to be so close for that.

“Forgive us for spying on your rendezvous, Guard Yang. It was unintentional,” Mo Shen smiled meaningfully at Yang Huo. “My master was curious about the view from above the trees since his painting is in a slump. We couldn’t find the right timing to retreat afterwards.”

“It must be fate, Attendant Mo,” Yang Huo knew Mo Shen was lying. “Will you please recount the event to everyone present?”

“Certainly. I do owe Guard Yang for protecting my master at the summer hunt,” Mo Shen nodded.

When Mo Shen told even the exact conversation exchanged between the two parties, Qing Meilin panicked. She hurriedly interjected.

“Servant Mo, don’t slander me! What can you hear from such a far distance? You are making things up!” Qing Meilin then got an idea. “Guard Yang is capable of such a feat because of his kung fu. Are you saying that you have equal strength with him? So, it is true that you are the savage beast who terrorized Consort Wu and the concubines.”

“I would not say that, no. I saw your conversation with my eyes,” Mo Shen smiled at Xue Lan. “I spotted you first from miles away when you found me, My Lord.”

Mo Shen basically told Xue Lan to improv on the spot without any warning, but he wasn’t fazed.

“Are you confessing that you tricked me?” He glanced at Mo Shen ‘helplessly’.

“How could someone not notice a beautiful man such as you wearing a plain, distasteful robe?” Mo Shen turned to Tian Chen. “Your Majesty, would you not also notice a treasure when it comes into your line of vision? Is that not why you chose my master out of everyone in Qi Ming Nation?”

Xue Lan subtly changed his expression as if remembering something. He looked at Tian Chen with a flicker of doubt.

Tian Chen’s chest thumped and almost raised his voice from panic, “It was Qi Ming’s independent decision on who they sent. We have not yet seen all members of the Qi Ming royal family.”

He didn’t choose anyone in specific and left that decision to Qi Ming. Rather, it was them who offered to give him one of the imperial princes as his consort. Xue Lan also knew this which was probably why he didn’t have any resentment towards him.

If Xue Lan misunderstood, he would think that he caused all the suffering he went through in his preparation to be his consort.

“Ah…” Mo Shen exclaimed with a strange face, almost judgmental.

Tian Chen frowned nervously.

He saw Xue Lan’s face gloomed for a split second.

The scene fell into an awkward silence.

A eunuch bravely stepped forward, “Your Majesty, Honorable Consort Qing…”

Tian Chen looked away from Xue Lan and swung his sleeves as he walked away, “We do not appreciate deceitful subjects. Send her to the cold palace to reflect on herself.”

Qing Meilin paled, “Y-Your Majesty! This consort begs your mercy! This consort only seeks your love and affection!”

Li Feng stopped her from grabbing Tian Chen’s robe and the other guards dragged her and her handmaid away.

“You– You really–!” Li Feng turned to Yang Huo with his suppressed anger and tiredness but he couldn’t let out a word of rebuke. He huffed in exasperation, “Suspended and abstinence. A month. If I ever caught you harassing anyone, I swear to heaven I will cut your– ugh! I will neuter you!”

Li Feng stomped away with his head fuming. Why did this goddamn walking hormone got assigned to him by the Lieutenant General!?

If Yang Huo wasn’t so unscrupulous, he would still be in the frontline military right now, not a menace to the whole palace.

He couldn’t even kick him out because his strength was worth more than 20 ordinary guards.

He thought Yang Huo finally reflected on himself since there hadn’t been any new update on his conquest. And now this!?

“I didn’t even do anything this time!?” Yang Huo thought it wasn’t fair.

He got set up!

“The accumulation of your karma finally caught up with you,” Mo Shen tutted.

“Shut up,” Yang Huo turned to the pair. ”Don’t tell me you were there because you knew? You could’ve helped me.”

“I thought it was a genuine love confession,” Mo Shen sighed dramatically. “I didn’t want to ruin the moment.”

“Can’t you at least put an effort into your lying?” Yang Huo looked at Xue Lan. “Your Highness, you really dragged your feet this far just to watch me getting pitted??”

“In my defence, Mo Shen was the one who dragged my feet here. I was as clueless as you quite honestly,” Xue Lan fanned himself guiltlessly. “I’ll gladly negotiate with Guard Li regarding your punishment as compensation.”

Yang Huo was about to accept Xue Lan’s offer when Mo Shen had unknowingly stood behind him and groped his chest, “And I’ll prepare a pretty little costume for you~”

“It’ll be a perfect practice material for my painting,” Xue Lan added with a roguish smile.

On his usually expressionless face, the smile looked particularly disturbing.

Yang Huo instantly remembered Xue Lan’s own punishment for him and his mind numbingly buzzed. He quickly ran between his tails to escape the clutch of the devils.

From this day onwards, Li Feng was officially his angel!

“Ah…he ran away,” Mo Shen chuckled.

“Is his chest truly that comfortable to squeeze?” Xue Lan became more interested seeing Mo Shen’s hands on them earlier.

“It’s one of the bests,” Mo Shen gave a thumbs up.

Xue Lan unconsciously looked down at his own flat chest. He never exercised, so it was hardly shaped to be expected.

Mo Shen hooked Xue Lan to face him and groped his butt, “Don’t worry, My Lord. In terms of softness, elasticity, and aesthetic, this still wins.”

Xue Lan whacked Mo Shen’s head with his fan in rebuke. The other only laughed innocently and carried him up by his butt just like that.

“The cold palace surely is not the end of Qing Meilin, My Lord?”

“She dressed herself so alluringly, it would be a pity if no one enjoyed her,” Xue Lan’s eyes glinted with sinister light.

Mo Shen grinned equally evil.