Xie Zhui's nature was clear-cut in love and hate, with a pure heart, though not naive. He never easily showed his likes and dislikes towards someone. But now, he straightforwardly said he didn't like Gu Yin.

 

Gu Yin, born into a noble family, was the eldest legitimate son of the main branch of the Gu family and the Crown Prince's cousin. He was supposed to observe a three-year mourning period, but the Emperor had granted him an exception, and he was soon to return to Jiangnan as the Governor of Jiangnan.

 

When people talked about him, they all said he was a favored child of heaven, an object of admiration.

 

But to Xie Zhui, he was someone to be disliked.

 

Xiao Shan looked at Xie Zhui, who had a serious expression, and frowned, "Do you have a grudge against him?" If that were the case, it would need to be thoroughly investigated. Xiao Shan knew Xie Zhui well and understood that he wouldn't dislike someone easily, so Gu Yin must have seriously offended him at some point.

 

But what could it be? Logically, Gu Yin was an official in Jiangnan, while Xie Zhui fought battles in the northern frontier; the two should have had no interaction.

 

Could it be a feud between their ancestors? That seemed even less likely. If that were the case, the Emperor wouldn't have bestowed Xie Zhui upon him without considering such implications. He would have known.

 

Seeing Xiao Shan frowning and deep in thought because of his words, Xie Zhui felt a pang in his chest and said stiffly, "He hasn't offended me, and I have no grudge against him."

 

When Xiao Shan raised his puzzled eyes to look at him, Xie Zhui said each word clearly, "I dislike Gu Yin as the Governor of Jiangnan."

 

With that one sentence, Xiao Shan was first stunned, then suddenly understood.

 

Xie Zhui didn't dislike Gu Yin per se, but rather, he disliked the only person who had cleanly extricated himself from the Liu Jingxuan case—the Governor of Jiangnan.

 

If this Governor of Jiangnan was Gu Yin, then he disliked Gu Yin. If it were someone else, he would dislike that person.

 

Xie Zhui disliked someone because of Xiao Shan.

 

Liu Jingxuan was the Crown Princess' full* brother, and Gu Yin was the Crown Prince's cousin.

*refers to a sibling who shares both biological parents with another sibling. In other words, a full brother is a brother who has the same mother and father as the person being referred to.

 

Both were part of the Crown Prince's faction, and due to their familial ties, Liu Jingxuan was the Prefect of Liangzhou, with Gu Yin as his superior. To say there was no connection between them was something even the Emperor wouldn't believe.

 

The political scene in Jiangnan was dark, with collusion between officials and merchants being the norm.

 

Given Gu Yin's capabilities, it was impossible for him not to have heard any rumors about what was happening with Liu Jingxuan. Yet, the fact was that when Liu Jingxuan's incident occurred, Gu Yin was in the capital under the pretext of observing mourning, and he remained completely untainted by the affair.

 

After the incident, people would discuss the Crown Princess' brother, Liu Jingxuan, but no one ever brought up the Crown Prince's cousin, the Governor of Jiangnan, Gu Yin, in relation to the matter.

 

Being in the turbulent environment of Jiangnan, it was impossible for Gu Yin to be entirely clean.

 

When Old Master Gu passed away, Gu Yin returned to the capital, and Liu Jingxuan's incident happened. Part of the reason Liu Jingxuan didn't implicate the Crown Prince was due to his own guilty conscience. Whether Gu Yin played any role in this is something no one knows.

 

Perhaps he was behind the scenes advising Liu Jingxuan on what choices to make, or maybe he was always watching the situation unfold. If Liu Jingxuan had truly chosen a different path, he would have reported it to the Crown Prince to minimize the losses.

 

Gu Yin would certainly do these things secretly because he wouldn't want to offend the Crown Princess or the Liu family.

 

He had too many considerations.

 

If the Crown Prince ascends to the throne in the future, the Crown Princess would become the Empress, and the Gu family would merely be powerful ministers.

 

If the Crown Princess becomes the Empress, her legitimate son would certainly become the Crown Prince. However, the Empress would not want the Crown Prince to marry into the Gu family, which had once harmed her maternal family.

 

With the Crown Princess harboring a grudge against the Gu family, the relationship between the royal family and the Gu family would only grow more distant with the next generation. One day, the Gu family might even become a thorn in the new Emperor's side.

 

At that time, for the Crown Prince who became the Emperor, would his maternal cousin be more important or his wife and children? No one would dare to gamble on that.

 

Therefore, anyone could go after Liu Jingxuan, except for Gu Yin. Not only could he not be involved, but he also had to ensure that this matter wouldn't affect the Crown Prince.

 

Everyone in the world knew that Xiao Shan was wholeheartedly devoted to the Crown Prince, and the Gu family was well aware of this.

 

The hot potato* that Gu Yin was unwilling to touch, Xiao Shan would certainly take on. Because if it were anyone else, neither Xiao Shan nor Xiao Jin would feel at ease.

*Controversial or sensitive topic; difficult to handle or resolve

 

Gu Yin considered the Gu family's interests and the bigger picture, but he never considered Xiao Shan. If Xiao Shan completely offended the Crown Princess, and if one day he fell out with the Crown Prince, would he have any path left to take?

 

Maybe he did think about it, but just didn't consider it that important.

 

After all, in the eyes of the world, Xiao Shan's reputation had already fallen to the lowest point.

 

In Gu Yin's eyes, Xiao Shan taking action might be the best solution. Xiao Shan could preserve the Crown Prince's influence in Jiangnan while minimizing losses in other areas.

 

Xiao Shan understood this in his heart, but the matter ultimately pointed to Xiao Jin. If Xiao Jin's wife's family had issues and his maternal family also faced problems, a significant portion of his support would be crippled.

 

So, just for this reason, Xiao Shan wouldn't care about Gu Yin's intentions.

 

However, even so, in Jiangnan, he still asked Liu Jingxuan one more question: whether Gu Yin knew about the things he had done. If there was indeed a connection, he would have to find another way to minimize the impact on the Crown Prince.

 

Liu Jingxuan said without hesitation that he did not.

 

Then Xiao Shan did not ask further. Since Liu Jingxuan said no, Gu Yin would certainly not be implicated.

 

Xiao Shan might not care about these things, but Xie Zhui felt very uncomfortable thinking about them.

 

Xiao Shan was his closest person; if others didn't care for him, Xie Zhui did.

 

Therefore, he disliked Gu Yin.

 

He loathed the group of people who meticulously schemed against Xiao Shan.

 

They were shrewd, opportunistic, and knew how to maximize their benefits and protect themselves.

 

Xiao Shan, being so intelligent, quickly understood why Xie Zhui said what he did.

 

He looked at Xie Zhui, who was indignant and even somewhat angry on his behalf, and his usually calm heart suddenly skipped a beat.

 

After completing a task, he didn't like to look back or overthink, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of what was going on.

 

Whether it was Gu Yin's little schemes or the potential resentment from the Crown Princess, he didn't care.

 

He didn't care about Gu Yin, and as for the Crown Princess, Xiao Jin was there to handle it, so it would never reach him.

 

But if you asked whether he was willing to be used willingly, he certainly wasn't.

 

It was just that the matter involved too many aspects, and he didn't want to be too calculative, lest others take advantage of the situation.

 

But now, there was someone who felt wronged on his behalf, so much so that he straightforwardly said he disliked Gu Yin, which could be considered a childish remark.

 

Thinking about this, Xiao Shan walked over to Xie Zhui. He lowered his eyes to look at Xie Zhui's resolute and handsome face, his gaze deep and intense. Suddenly, he tightly embraced Xie Zhui's waist, holding him very close. Xie Zhui reached out and hugged him back.

 

With slightly heavy breaths, Xiao Shan kissed Xie Zhui's earlobe.

 

The sky had not yet darkened, and in the eyes of the world, Xiao Shan's actions might seem somewhat impetuous.

 

But in this regard, Xiao Shan had always been indifferent, as long as Xie Zhui didn't push him away, everything was fine. Right now, he just wanted to hold the person in front of him, feeling the cool aura emanating from him.

 

After hugging for a while, Xiao Shan slightly pulled back. He looked at Xie Zhui and said seriously, "If you dislike Gu Yin, then dislike him. After all, he was the one who was unprincipled first. In the future, when you see him, there's no need to suppress your discomfort and deliberately give him face."

 

Xie Zhui nodded, feeling that Xiao Shan's words made perfect sense.

 

Xiao Shan had already endured enough; why should they keep retreating and making themselves even more uncomfortable?

 

Seeing that Xie Zhui's expression had finally improved, Xiao Shan smiled and then said, "Let's have dinner prepared. I'm a bit hungry."

 

He had spent the day at the Ministry of Justice, engaging in a battle of wits with Xiao Rong. Seeing Xie Zhui, he just wanted to put all those official matters aside and spend the most peaceful time with him.

 

Hearing Xiao Shan's words, Xie Zhui quickly instructed the servants to prepare dinner.

 

***

 

Gu Yin could sense that Xie Zhui had issues with him, but he didn't say much about it.

 

Things had already reached this point, and he was prepared to accept any outcome. He knew that Xiao Shan was not the ignorant playboy the rumors made him out to be; on the contrary, he was very smart. But Xiao Shan was not the heir apparent.

 

Sometimes, one has to make choices.

 

Gu Yin also hoped that the brotherly bond between Xiao Shan and Xiao Jin would remain unchanged.

 

As Gu Yin boarded the ship to Jiangnan, the Fourth Prince, Xiao Yi, turned sixteen and was finally about to leave the palace and establish his own residence.

 

The Emperor deliberated for a long time and ultimately bestowed upon Xiao Yi the title of Prince Xian*.

*can be translated as "idle" or "leisure." It implies a title that doesn't come with significant responsibilities or power.

 

At first, when Xiao Shan heard it, he thought it was the "贤" (xián) meaning "virtuous." When he realized it was the "闲" (xián) meaning "idle," he whispered to Xie Zhui, "I think the character 'idle' suits me best."

 

Xie Zhui inwardly agreed with him, but he didn't say anything because the title had already been decided, and there was no point in discussing it further.

 

Moreover, if their casual conversation were to be overheard, it could easily be misunderstood as Xiao Shan coveting someone else's title. If Xiao Yi heard it, he would certainly feel uncomfortable.

 

However, Xie Zhui was very curious about how Xiao Shan got the title of Prince Li.

 

Titles represent the Emperor's expectations. The Emperor hoped Xiao Rong would be wise, hoped Xiao Yi would be leisurely, but hoped Xiao Shan would be... tyrannical?

 

The character "厉" (Lì), to be honest, wasn't very positive. In the past, tyrants, like the infamous King Li of Qin, had the character "厉" in their titles.

 

Xiao Shan really wasn't that kind of person, and he didn't know what the Emperor was thinking when he gave him such a title.

 

Seeing Xie Zhui's confusion, Xiao Shan leaned in and whispered softly in his ear, "Actually, I brought this title upon myself. It has nothing to do with Father Emperor."

 

Xie Zhui was genuinely surprised. His eyes widened slightly, and he stared at Xiao Shan in disbelief, not understanding why.

 

Seeing his expression, Xiao Shan laughed.

 

At that time, the Emperor had proposed several titles, such as Prince Jin, Prince Yan, and Prince An.

 

But Xiao Shan didn't like any of them. He was picky with the Emperor, thinking that the character "瑾" (Jin) had too many strokes, and "燕" (Yan) sounded like "drowning."

 

In the end, the Emperor got angry and directly asked him, "What title do you want exactly?"

 

Xiao Shan thought for a long time and said, "Anything is fine."

 

With that "Anything is fine," the Emperor coldly laughed three times, threw all the carefully considered titles into the fireplace, and burned them.

 

Then, with a grand flourish, he wrote the character "厉" (Li) and tossed it to Xiao Shan, saying, "This is your title."

 

Initially, the Emperor was just momentarily annoyed, but at that moment, several court officials requested an audience. They heard the Emperor's angry roar from outside, and when they entered the hall to pay their respects, they saw Xiao Shan holding the character "厉" in his hand.

 

The officials' faces turned grim, and they immediately thought that Xiao Shan had fallen out of the Emperor's favor.

 

Seeing the court officials with their "I know everything" expressions, the Emperor just wanted to grab them by the collars and shake them, asking what exactly they thought they knew.

 

The character was something he had scribbled in anger, and who knew what was going through their minds to take it seriously.

 

But the Emperor couldn't explain this to the officials, and Xiao Shan didn't care about the title either, so he wouldn't undermine the Emperor.

 

So, it was just accepted.

 

After finishing his story, Xiao Shan sighed and said, "I was young and reckless back then. In my regret, I often comfort myself by thinking that the character '厉' (Li) is also good, as it implies being formidable."

 

He was broad-minded about it, but after the title was decided, for a long time, the Emperor looked at him as if he were a fool.

 

Because of Xiao Shan's title, everyone assumed that the Emperor didn't favor him, even Consort Lan was saddened for several days upon hearing it.

 

But the true reason was known only to the Emperor and Xiao Shan.

 

Now, Xie Zhui knew as well.