Chapter Twenty-Three: Grace

"Brother Zhao, how can you say such a thing!"

Li Chengqian, upon hearing this from Zhao Mu, straightened his elegant and noble face, speaking with the utmost solemnity. "Setting aside the fact that last night would have been impossible without your counsel and strategy, today you have saved my life once again."

"With you treating me with such sincerity, how could I ever think you were merely holding a favor over my head to demand a reward?"

"I implore you, Brother Zhao, retract those words at once!" Li Chengqian’s expression was earnest.

This made Zhao Mu feel as if he had truly spoken out of turn and hurt the man’s feelings. Zhao Mu stared straight at Li Chengqian, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Heaven as his witness, he had only been trying to be polite! These ancient people were truly troublesome. Especially those who had been raised with royal education, acting by the book and sometimes obsessing over trifles—it was an absolute headache. Being called "Brother Zhao" at every turn only added to his irritation.

Nursing his inner complaints, Zhao Mu shook his head helplessly. "Fine, fine! I take back what I said, alright?"

"That is much better," Li Chengqian said, his expression softening into a look of pride mixed with relief. "I know that you are accustomed to a free-spirited life and dislike my rigid, formal ways. But your words just now truly frightened me. You must understand, in my current position, I simply cannot afford to lose you. Otherwise, I might make a wrong move and lose all the advantages you have helped me secure..."

"Relax!" Zhao Mu, annoyed by the man’s buzzing persistence, waved his hands dismissively. "I understand your intentions, Your Highness. Rest assured. As long as you do not betray our friendship, I will always stand by your side. Stop being so insecure! Do you really think I, Zhao Mu, am so fickle? Since I have acknowledged you as a friend, I will naturally help you as much as I can. This has nothing to do with your status or your power. It is simply because you, Li Chengqian, are my friend!"

Despite being addressed so rudely by his given name, Li Chengqian was moved to tears, unable to speak for a long moment. Overcome with emotion, he couldn't help but reach out and firmly grasp Zhao Mu’s wrist. His face was flushed with excitement, his lips trembling slightly—a clear testament to how touched he was.

He was just about to speak when he saw Zhao Mu recoil in disgust, forcibly tearing his hand away!

"Li Chengqian!" Zhao Mu took a dramatic step back. He pointed an accusatory finger at Li Chengqian’s nose and barked, "Are you sick? Can you stop being so touchy-feely!"

"Ugh!" Zhao Mu looked at him with utter disdain, as if he were about to retch. "That is absolutely disgusting!"

Li Chengqian was taken aback. He had merely wanted to hold his friend's hand to show his sincerity. Why was Zhao Mu’s reaction so... repulsed? Though he was confused, he felt no anger at Zhao Mu’s incredibly rude behavior. Instead, he felt that Zhao Mu was simply being his honest, straightforward self.

"Hahahaha..." As Li Chengqian thought about it, he looked at Zhao Mu and began to laugh until he was breathless. Zhao Mu simply looked too funny.

Zhao Mu glared at him sideways. "What are you laughing at?"

"I’m warning you, Li Chengqian, from now on, no matter what happens, keep your hands to yourself! Otherwise, go back to the Eastern Palace and find your Chengxin!"

"..." Li Chengqian’s laughter cut off abruptly! Hearing the mention of Chengxin, he finally understood why Zhao Mu was so disgusted. Good heavens! Did he think he had a penchant for men?

Li Chengqian panicked and rushed to explain. "Brother Zhao, you have misunderstood! I was just overcome with emotion." As soon as he said it, he realized how it sounded. He quickly shifted his tone. "No, wait—Brother Zhao, please, I have absolutely no improper intentions toward you!"

The more Zhao Mu heard, the darker his face became. He even considered cutting ties with this fellow altogether.

Li Chengqian continued to ramble. "I absolutely do not have that kind of inclination, Brother Zhao! I told you yesterday, my fooling around with Chengxin was purely to provoke the Emperor. There is absolutely nothing between us..."

"Enough! Stop explaining!" Zhao Mu interrupted, his face black. "Keep your sordid business with Chengxin to yourself; don't try to gross me out with it!"

"I couldn't care less if you're gay or not," Zhao Mu rolled his eyes, speaking irritably. "But I am warning you, Li Chengqian: if you do that again, don't blame me for breaking off our friendship!"

"Alright, alright!" Hearing the threat of ending their friendship, Li Chengqian was terrified. He immediately put on a solemn face and even swore to the heavens. "I guarantee, I will never touch you again, Brother Zhao!"

"Fine, let’s leave it at that." Zhao Mu couldn't help but roll his eyes again. "Let’s talk business."

"Please, Brother Zhao!" Though he had no idea what serious business there was to discuss, Li Chengqian sat up straight, putting on a grave expression.

"Your Highness, have you thought about the origins of those black-armored masked warriors?" Zhao Mu asked, wanting to move past the embarrassing topic as quickly as possible.

Li Chengqian frowned and pondered. After a moment, he shook his head. "I have thought it over carefully, but I still cannot fathom whose men they could be... According to your description, they were able to crush the Marquis’s personal guards without any resistance, which means their combat prowess is extremely high. That is no easy feat."

He paused, a flicker of shock crossing his eyes, but he shook his head again. "I truly cannot think of anyone who could cultivate such formidable figures."

"Heh..." Zhao Mu smiled and looked at Li Chengqian, his voice cold. "Is it that you cannot think of anyone, Your Highness, or that you dare not?"

Li Chengqian lowered his head and picked up his wine cup, his expression clearly guarded. Seeing this, Zhao Mu chuckled. "It seems it is not that you dare not guess, but that you dare not speak."

"Forget it. I will say it for you. Let’s see if the person behind the curtain is the same one you have in mind!"

"Brother Zhao..." Li Chengqian set down his cup, hesitant to speak.

Ignoring his reservations, Zhao Mu continued on his own. "If I am not mistaken, the only person in Chang’an capable of training such fierce warriors is the Emperor himself!"

"What do you think, Your Highness?" Zhao Mu looked at Li Chengqian with a wicked grin. *Since you disgusted me just now, let’s see if I can’t scare the wits out of you!*

*Clatter!*

The wine cup in Li Chengqian’s hand dropped onto the table, spilling wine everywhere.

"Brother Zhao, watch your tongue!" Li Chengqian’s complexion had changed instantly!