Chapter 261: A Favor (Part 2)

Le Hang: "..."

He wanted to make excuses for their rude behavior of following him, but the moment his gaze touched that familiar face, he instinctively swallowed the words.

A chance encounter?

He wouldn't believe it himself even if he said it.

Since there was no explanation to offer, Le Hang instead calmed down: "Surveillance Commissioner Wenren, this is truly discourteous of us."

Le Wuya slipped nimbly into the alley, smiling at his words: "I don't like hearing that."

Le Hang paused, then said in a low voice: "It's been a long time."

"Now that's more like it." Le Wuya's brows relaxed, and he clapped his hands together, pulling out three oil-paper packets still warm with rising steam from his sleeve. "Have you two Lords Yue had dinner yet?"

He extended them forward, his tone light: "His Majesty rewarded me with some silver this morning, but it hasn't reached my hands yet. I'm a bit short on cash right now, but three roasted sweet potatoes, I can still afford."

Le Hang took the packet, momentarily stunned.

Le Wuya, thanks to his nimble frame, had already slipped deeper into the alley, crouching at the far end, flashing them a carefree, devil-may-care grin.

...Even meeting openly on the street, with witnesses around, was somehow less private and less free than this sneaky little rendezvous.

While Le Hang was lost in thought, Le Jue had long been staring, wide-eyed, forgetting even to take the sweet potato offered to him, only gazing blankly at Le Wuya, his eyes stinging from the rising steam.

Ever since Ali had returned from the border, his connection with the family had gradually grown distant.

Later, after he came in first in the imperial examinations and the emperor granted him a residence, Ali had simply moved out of the Le household altogether.

At first, during festivals and holidays, Ali would still come back to visit.

But as his official rank grew higher, his visits home became fewer and farther between.

Gradually, the two Le residences seemed to have fallen into a state of estrangement, as if they'd never interact again.

Le Jue could not bear this unexplained coldness. He had once wanted to charge over to Le Wuya's new residence to demand an explanation, to ask why, but Le Hang had stopped him.

Le Hang said that Ali was not a child who lacked judgment or forgot old ties—if he acted this way, there must be hidden reasons.

At the time, Le Jue had grumbled bitterly: "What kind of earth-shattering reason could keep him from even coming home?!"

Later, Le Jue finally learned what that reason was.

But it was already too late.

Before his death, Le Wuya had quietly and thoroughly cut ties with the Le family.

Even during those rare family gatherings, he would bring several chests with him when he left.

Like an ant moving its nest, bit by bit, he had erased every trace of himself from the Le household.

It wasn't until after his death that Le Jue realized Le Wuya had taken even his childhood clothes, his calligraphy practice sheets, and his small bow.

The Le family couldn't even erect a cenotaph for him.

Le Jue couldn't accept it.

Every year when the persimmons ripened, Le Jue would climb the wild persimmon tree on the outskirts of the capital, relying on his agility, pick the reddest, plumpest fruit, and place it on the stone table in the family pavilion.

He only hoped that if Ali's spirit ever suddenly wanted to come back for a visit, there would still be a good persimmon to eat.

It wasn't until Le Hang gently nudged him with his elbow that Le Jue snapped back to reality. He turned his head and saw that Le Wuya had been holding up the sweet potato for who knows how long, tilting his head curiously, as if asking with his eyes what was on his mind.

Embarrassed, Le Jue rubbed the corner of his eye with his shoulder, said thanks, took the sweet potato, and bit into it hard.

The sweet warmth mixed with a rising sourness gathered in his throat.

...And then he choked on the sweet potato.

It took both Le Hang and Le Wuya patting his back together to help him catch his breath.

This little interlude managed to dispel the melancholy that had been spreading uninvited.

"Too fast." Le Hang took a dignified, restrained bite of his sweet potato and raised an eyebrow.

Le Wuya: "What does Erudite Yue mean, 'too fast'?"

Le Hang gestured to Le Jue, signaling him to offer his sweet potato for a bite: "Your rate of promotion is too fast. It'll easily invite jealousy."

As he spoke, he traded his sweet potato for Le Jue's: "...Mine's sweeter. Eat mine."

Le Wuya smiled cheerfully: "If you don't invite jealousy, what's the point in living?"

Le Hang disapproved: "Childish words."

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he'd misspoken.

Given his position, how could he presume to act like an elder brother and lecture a dignified fourth-rank Censor-in-Chief?

But before his self-reproach could spread, he saw Le Wuya smoothly swap the sweet potato that had just reached Le Jue's hands into his own, taking a delighted bite: "It is sweet."

Le Hang: "..."

His gaze softened without him realizing it.

Unlike his brother's sensitivity, Le Jue's thoughts were far simpler.

He only vaguely felt that this Wenren Ming Ke was someone worth befriending—promoted in rank, yet without all that airs and graces, and most importantly, he didn't treat them as outsiders, even happily eating sweet potatoes they had already bitten into.

At Ali's age back then, he'd already grown distant from them.

This was the first time Le Jue had been so close to the grown-up "Ali."

Love me, love my dog—Le Jue naturally adopted a protective stance, jabbing Le Hang in the ribs with his elbow: "What kind of talk is that?"

Le Hang said seriously: "I'm reminding him. He's never served as an official in the capital and doesn't know how deep these waters run. But if he doesn't know, don't you? Look at your own situation at Guanshan Camp—is it any better?"

Le Jue rubbed his ear, fidgeting: "Why'd you have to bring that up?"

Le Wuya blinked: "What? Is Second Brother Le getting bullied at Guanshan Camp?"

Le Jue scratched his head: "It's not really that. They just always have me oversee cold weapons, drill the sword-and-shield soldiers, and watch over the grain and gunpowder stores..."

Guanshan Camp was a firearms division, yet Le Jue was relegated to such idle duties, unable to get his hands on any firearms—which had completely cut off his path to advancement.

"I heard Second Brother Le is a Military Tanhua. Even he gets treated like this?"

Le Hang took over the conversation: "That's the heart of it. To be honest, Commissioner Wenren, you look a lot like my youngest brother. Has anyone ever mentioned that to you?"

Le Wuya nodded: "Judge Zheng mentioned it to me."

Le Hang knew who Zheng Miao was and knew a bit about his odd personality, so he nodded: "Wo Yu got pushed aside just for being his older brother, so imagine what they'd do to you..."

Le Wuya interrupted him: "So this Erudite Yue guy gets bullied too, huh?"

Le Hang froze.

That's not what he meant.

He meant...

Le Wuya, having asked this, grinned: "That was a dumb question. Back then, even Yuan Xiao'er dared to push you around."

Le Hang was speechless for a second: "You..."

Le Wuya took a bite of his sweet potato and said with his mouth full: "...Okay, got it."

Le Hang: "..." Wait, what do you think you understand?

He quickly explained: "Commissioner Wenren, I think you got the wrong idea. We didn't come to ask for your help—we're worried someone might be plotting against you. Like I said, the waters in the capital run deep..."

Le Wuya was indeed hungry, and he wolfed down a small sweet potato in a few bites, then looked up with a smile: "I swim great. Deep water doesn't scare me."

With that, he turned to ask: "Brother Le, last time I came to your place, I remember there was a side door in the southeast corner?"

Le Hang: "...Yes. What are you planning to do, Commissioner Wenren?"

"Oh, nothing." Le Wuya raised his hand and patted Le Jue's firm pecs, but his eyes were fixed on Le Hang. "Brother Le, keep that door open, air it out."

Then he walked to the mouth of the alley, confirmed no one was around, turned back, and winked playfully: "See you later, Brother Le."

After Le Wuya took his leave, Le Hang was spaced out for a good while. When he turned around, he found Le Jue still frozen in a chewing pose with one cheek puffed out, even more dazed than Le Hang.

After a long moment, Le Jue finally snapped back to reality and excitedly smacked Le Hang's arm: "He patted me! Did you see that? Ali used to pat me like that all the time! Said my chest felt nice!"

Le Hang shot him down: "He might have just been wiping his hands on you."

Le Jue: "..."

He snorted, leaned against the wall, and finished the sweet potato Le Wuya had handed him in a few bites.

Le Hang asked Le Jue: "So... what's he really up to?"

Le Jue widened his eyes: "You're asking me that?"

Le Hang: "...Fair enough."

"Brother, why didn't you just ask him directly just now? Don't you usually have to dig into everything?"

Le Hang also realized he had been acting out of character all day, so he searched his own feelings, thought it over, and then understood: "...He called me Brother Le."

Le Jue was confused: "...Huh?"

Le Hang looked at Le Jue and said clearly: "He called me big brother."

Le Jue: "..."

He had initially wanted to tease Le Hang, but the words died on his lips.

That's the pot calling the kettle black.

When he was called "Second Brother Le," wasn't he just as happy as a clam?

...

With a warm meal in his stomach, Le Wuya's thoughts raced.

He was lost in his thoughts until he reached the stone lion beside the main gate of his new residence, only then noticing that the front door was wide open, and Hua Rong was already standing outside, peering around nervously.

Seeing him return, Hua Rong hurried over and whispered: "My lord, an important guest is here..."

Before he could finish, Le Wuya looked over his shoulder and spotted a graceful figure standing by the gatehouse.

Le Wuya's heart skipped a beat, and he called out: "You..."

The person ahead heard the sound, turned around, and flashed a nasty grin.

"Commissioner Wenren." Xiang Zhi said in a sweet tone, "Why don't you just wait for me to die?"

Le Wuya stopped in his tracks: "..."

That was close.

He'd never mistaken anyone for someone else before.

To hide his flustered feelings, he immediately flashed a big smile: "Oh, long time no see. And who's this?"