”Where is he?” Wen Xu asked the cowering servant. ”And whatever you’re about to say, don’t,” he continued in a flat tone. ”Just tell me where he actually is.”
”He—” the servant stammered, throwing himself into a deep bow. ”In his chambers, Young Master. He asked not to be disturbed…” his voice trailed away in a terrified squeak as Wen Xu merely stared at him, and then he hastily excused himself and ran away.
Useless.
All servants in Father’s household were useless.
Wen Xu shook his sleeves into place and started towards A-Chao’s chambers. He had little to no doubt what his spineless little brother was doing and why he’d asked not to be disturbed. Incidentally, Wen Xu didn’t care.
He heard them before he saw them, the lewd noises of skin slapping against skin; grunts and performative moans audible through the doors. He made a face and slammed the doors open with a flick of his spiritual energy, then marched into the bedroom.
”Father has a job for you,” he said, ignoring his current mistress’ scream and A-Chao’s curses as he scrambled away from her.
”Ge—” A-Chao started with a sneer on his face. If he was striving for indignation, he would’ve been more convincing if he was either dressed or if he actually had anything to be proud of in his nudity.
”After the mess you made with the indoctrination—”
”That was not his fault!” the woman wailed.
Wen Xu shot her a look from the corner of his eye. ”Cover yourself, woman,” he said with a curled lip. ”I wasn’t talking to you.”
Her face clouded with fury and shame, making her even more unpleasant to look at. Wen Xu wasn’t sure just why A-Chao kept choosing increasingly irritable and annoying lovers when he had a perfectly good wife but again, he didn’t really care.
”Don’t talk to Jiaojiao like that!” A-Chao hissed, drawing her into his embrace.
Wen Xu wished he’d put on a robe already. Watching A-Chao’s nude behind wasn’t exactly something he wanted to do today. ”As I was saying,” he said, ignoring the pair. ”After the mess you made with the indoctrination and especially after you took the sect heirs on an unsanctioned hunting trip without a proper plan, Father decided you needed something to do.”
”I had a plan—”
”You are to take troops and ride to Yunmeng,” Wen Xu talked over him.
A-Chao frowned. ”Why?”
Wen Xu waited for a moment and then said, ”Gusu already has a Supervisory Office. Father thinks it’s time for more.”
A-Chao’s eyes lit up. ”And he wants me to take Lotus Pier!” He snatched a crumpled robe from the floor and hastily donned it on. ”I must speak to Father at once—we need to make plans and—”
Wen Xu stepped in front of him and drew a scroll from his sleeve. ”Father is busy and wishes not to be disturbed. I have your orders here. You leave in the morning.”
As he walked away, he heard A-Chao and the woman’s delighted squeals and what sounded a lot like frantic kissing.
He hoped they didn’t mess up the scroll while they were at it.