Ning Chen pinched the Ninth Princess’s small cheek. “My thanks for the Princess’s bounty!”

The Ninth Princess ducked her head, shy.

The Fifth Prince watched the two of them being affectionate, and a deep jealousy went across the back of his eyes.

He pushed the last piece of pastry into his mouth, then got up and came over, and took the Ninth Princess’s hand, wheedling. “Huai’an. The pastries are all gone.”

Ning Chen’s face darkened all at once.

Even between a brother and sister of the same blood, that was too intimate a thing to do.

Children of the imperial house ought to be more careful of the proprieties, not less.

Ning Chen could not help thinking of how the Fifth Prince went through batch after batch of young women and closed their mouths for good the moment he tired of them.

Which meant the man was a lecher through and through.

He couldn’t be after his own sister? Ning Chen startled himself with the thought, and disgusted himself with it.

Ning Chen reached out and took hold of the Fifth Prince’s wrist, and tightened all five fingers.

“The Fifth Prince should eat fewer pastries. They’re bad for you. They rot the teeth.”

The pain forced the Fifth Prince to let go. His mouth crumpled, his eyes went red, and there were tears in his voice. “You — you pinched me and it hurt.”

Ning Chen gave one last vicious squeeze before he let go, and put on an embarrassed look. “Bear with me, Fifth Prince. I was thinking of your health.”

The Fifth Prince was in real pain. That one squeeze of Ning Chen’s had come close to snapping his wrist.

He looked thoroughly wronged, and the tears stood swimming in his eyes.

The Fifth Prince pointed at Ning Chen and complained to Huai’an. “Huai’an, he’s a bad man. My wrist hurts.”

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes a little. That was a sickening piece of acting.

He was about to explain himself to the Ninth Princess — and then heard the Ninth Princess say, “Fifth Brother, you’re a man. Don’t be so soft… And Ning Chen is a good man. He’s right, too much sweet is bad for the teeth.”

The Fifth Prince lowered his head. A hard glint went across the back of his eyes, and then he made a small sullen sound of assent.

Ning Chen said, smiling, “Fifth Prince. Would you like to come out of the palace with me?”

The Fifth Prince raised his head, his eyes innocent and his face simple and honest. “No. I want to play with Huai’an.”

Play with your sister, my ass. Ning Chen said it inwardly.

“Fifth Prince, I’ve found a pastry shop with very good things in it… Let me take you there and buy you some.”

The Fifth Prince said, simple as ever, “You just said not to let me eat too much sweet, that it’s bad for the teeth.”

“There are pastries that aren’t sweet.” Ning Chen picked up the chest of gold and said, smiling, “Come on.”

The Ninth Princess said, smiling, “Fifth Brother, go off with Ning Chen and enjoy yourself… I’m going to see Father Emperor in a while, so I won’t have time for you.”

The Fifth Prince made a small unhappy sound of assent.

The two of them left the Fallen Phoenix Court.

Ning Chen walked in front with the chest in his arms, and the Fifth Prince followed behind.

He kept his eyes narrowed on Ning Chen, and there was a flicker in them.

Ning Chen turned around suddenly, and alarm flickered across the Fifth Prince’s face. He put his head down in a hurry.

“Fifth Prince. Watch your feet, or you’ll take a wrong turn.”

The Fifth Prince gave a wide, simple smile. “I won’t. You walk in front and I’ll keep my eyes fixed on you the whole way.”

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes a little, smiled, and turned and walked on.

In his own head he was working it out. Should he beat the grass and startle the snake? Let the Fifth Prince know he had already seen through the game of playing the fool?

The Fifth Prince was guessing at the same thing. Had Ning Chen found something out? Should he try him and see?

The two of them, each with his own scheme.

At the palace gate the Fifth Prince could not hold it in. He wanted to try Ning Chen and see whether he had found anything out.

But before he could speak he saw a fast horse coming up at a gallop.

It was Geng Jing.

Something flashed in Ning Chen’s eyes, and he had his plan at once.

He walked quickly forward. “Lord Geng. Have you come for me?”

Geng Jing pulled the horse up and was about to say no — and then saw Ning Chen waggling his eyebrows at him.

He did not understand what Ning Chen meant, but he chose to keep his mouth shut. He swung down from the saddle, came over to Ning Chen and lowered his voice. “What is it?”

“The men of the seventh department haven’t moved?”

Geng Jing shook his head. “It reaches too far. We are gathering evidence quietly. Nothing has moved yet.”

Ning Chen said, smiling, “Good… This time we’ll settle them along with the rest.”

Geng Jing looked thoroughly puzzled.

Ning Chen did not turn around. He could tell from the footsteps that the Fifth Prince had come up.

He said loudly, on purpose, “Excellent! Then get into the palace at once and stand before His Majesty. I’ll go back and get ready.”

Geng Jing’s forehead filled with question marks. He had no idea at all what Ning Chen meant… He had been going in to stand before His Majesty anyway.

Ning Chen urged him on. “Lord Geng. Time is short and the job is heavy. Get in there and report to His Majesty… I’ll wait for you at the Inspectorate.”

Geng Jing was puzzled. What was Ning Chen playing at now?

But he knew there had to be a reason behind these strange doings of Ning Chen’s. He nodded. “All right! I’ll go into the palace and stand before His Majesty first. Wait for me at the Inspectorate.”

Ning Chen nodded. “Go on, quickly.”

Geng Jing went into the palace completely at a loss.

Ning Chen turned back and looked at the Fifth Prince, and bowed. “Fifth Prince, I’m sorry. I can’t take you to buy pastries today… Another day I’ll buy some and send them to your residence.”

The Fifth Prince looked bitterly disappointed. “But I want pastries.”

“Truly not today. Something urgent has come up. Another day.”

The Fifth Prince was angry, and stuck his lip out. “I want pastries. If you won’t take me, I’ll follow you… and when you’ve finished I’ll have you take me.”

Ning Chen smiled bitterly. “Forgive me, Fifth Prince. It would be dangerous for you to come with me.”

“I’m not afraid!”

“You’re not, but I am. If anything happened to you, how would I answer for it to His Majesty? I’ll tell you the truth. Two of my colleagues went missing, and now at last we’ve found them, and I have to go get them out… Lives hang on it. Forgive me, Fifth Prince.”

With that Ning Chen ran over, untied the horse, swung into the saddle and was gone in a cloud of dust.

The Fifth Prince narrowed his eyes and stared after Ning Chen, his gaze unsteady, and said under his breath, “Impossible. There is no way you people could have found where those two are hidden.”

But when he saw Geng Jing’s horse his brows drew together again.

He knew what the Inspectorate could do.

Could the Inspectorate really have found out where those two men were hidden?

The more the Fifth Prince thought, the guiltier his conscience grew, and he walked quickly to his own carriage.

Ning Chen rode to the Inspectorate’s first department.

“Old Gao. Get everybody together. There’s a job.”

Gao Ziping did it at once.

“Chen Chong. Go to the other departments and have them send over a few silver coats to help.”

Chen Chong nodded. “Right, I’ll go now.”

Ning Chen said, “We’ll split up. I’ll take the sixth department and the seventh; you take the rest.”

“Right!”

Ning Chen went to the sixth department.

When Meng Jianbai heard that Ning Chen wanted men, he did not hesitate for a moment and gave Ning Chen several silver coats.

Ning Chen took them with him to the seventh department.

The seventh department’s gold coat was called Han Ji.

A tall, thin man in his middle years, with narrow three-cornered eyes and not an ounce of flesh on his cheeks — sharp-mouthed and hollow-cheeked.

Ning Chen had seen him a few times before, but the two of them were not close and had had little to do with each other.

“I greet my lord!”

Han Ji made his bow, all smiles and fawning.

Ning Chen waved a hand. “No ceremony.”

“My lord honors the seventh department with his presence. Is there something you want done?”

Ning Chen said heavily, “There is a large operation tonight. The first department does not have the men. Geng the Purple Coat has agreed that men be drawn from the other departments.”

“Han the Gold Coat. Send me five silver coats at least.”

Han Ji asked, curious, “What operation?”

Ning Chen’s face darkened. “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.”

Han Ji, all smiles and fawning, said, “I spoke out of turn. Forgive me, my lord. I’ll assign the men to you right away.”

With that Han Ji picked out five silver coats for Ning Chen.

Ning Chen wasted no words. He turned and left with them.

Han Ji stared after Ning Chen, his gaze flickering, then turned and walked quickly into a room and shut the door.

(End of Chapter 424)