Winning the male lead

The Eastern Depot was an intelligence agency, where all the ministers’ backgrounds, including their secrets, were thoroughly recorded.

Le Tian flipped through a few pages and suddenly caught sight of Han Qi’s handsome face among the many imposing figures. The artist from the Eastern Depot had meticulously captured his cold and sharp temperament, showcasing his sword-like brows and starry eyes in great detail.

Le Tian’s heart skipped a beat.

Han Qi’s dossier was strikingly simple. Like him, he came from a poor background, but took a completely different path.

Through his military achievements in the blood-soaked battlefields, he returned to the capital and donated some of the money he had earned with his life to become a captain in the Imperial Guard. The dossier recorded that he had killed 471 enemies.

Le Tian murmured, “Wow, this guy’s ruthless.”

System: “How dare you call someone else ruthless?”

As the one who helped Zong Yan ascend the throne, Lin Le Tian had countless lives on his hands—many more than Han Qi—and the quality of those lives was high. Many princes and concubines had died at his hands.

He closed the dossier, his expression thoughtful. “I feel like this Han Qi is not simple.”

The system was shaken. It hadn’t expected him to catch on. It had intentionally concealed Han Qi’s identity, yet Le Tian still sensed something was off.

Before the system could decide whether to reveal the truth, Le Tian said decisively, “He’s too handsome to join such an evil organization as the Eastern Depot. Something’s definitely wrong.”

System: “…” Fine.

It had been more than a year since Zong Yan ascended the throne, and Le Tian, who was eager to control the court, deliberately kept Zong Yan in a state of weakness. Not only did he keep his power limited, but he also arranged palace maids and eunuchs around him to indulge his whims and pleasures.

Suddenly, the two Grand Tutors, Yang Qianyi and E Tai, arrived. Zong Yan, who was used to being spoiled, had no intention of listening to them. Without saying a word, he attempted to throw them out.

E Tai was a martial general, tall and imposing with a majestic beard, but he was slow to speak and couldn’t argue. He cupped his hands and turned to leave. He didn’t want to take on this job in the first place, but he had no choice, given the power of the eunuchs.

Yang Qianyi stepped forward and blocked his path. E Tai glared at him, but Yang Qianyi gently pressed his hand, signaling him to stay calm. He turned to Zong Yan and bowed, speaking in a gentle voice, “Your Majesty, why are you so angry?”

Zong Yan’s face was filled with impatience, his beautiful face full of distaste. “I’m the emperor! Do I need these ministers pointing fingers at me? Get out!”

E Tai, hearing this, grew even angrier. His face turned red with anger, and he bowed again to Zong Yan. With a rough voice, he declared, “I resign!” He stormed off angrily.

Yang Qianyi sighed, “Your Majesty, please hear me out…”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Zong Yan snapped, interrupting him, and stormed off to his private palace in the imperial complex, a place full of indulgent pleasures. It was filled with all sorts of oddities that Le Tian had gathered to distract and weaken the emperor’s mind.

The news of the two Grand Tutors being kicked out immediately reached Le Tian in the Eastern Depot. At that moment, he was busy reviewing documents. Upon hearing the news, he was immediately furious.

You’re my son, and I’m working hard in the office, while you’re at home refusing to study and throwing out your tutors!

“Understood, you may leave,” he said coldly, dismissing the messenger eunuch.

Soon, E Tai’s petition arrived. His brash nature was clear in the petition, with the repeated words “I can’t handle this position” throughout, essentially resigning.

Le Tian tore the petition into pieces, his anger causing his heart to race dangerously. “How dare he defy my orders!” The fire of treachery within him flared up.

System: “The plan was to nurture a wise ruler, but E Tai is a rare talent.”

Le Tian: “Fine, if he doesn’t want to do it, there are others who will.”

“Bring him in,” he calmly called.

Soon, someone responded, “Your Grace, what is your command?”

“Bring Han Qi here.”

System: “…” Damn it, I overlooked that.

Han Qi, who had been working outside, was called back. He entered the room, looking dusty from his journey but still managing to maintain his handsome appearance.

Le Tian almost drooled. He couldn’t take his eyes off him. While his own appearance was pleasant, he had a more feminine aura, and wearing women’s clothing wouldn’t feel out of place. Han Qi, on the other hand, was simply handsome, with an aura of restrained killing intent and calm control, a deadly combination that was irresistibly attractive.

The system couldn’t hold back anymore. “Stop staring and get to the point.”

Le Tian cleared his throat and awkwardly said, “Han Qi, how’s everything going in the Eastern Depot?”

Han Qi’s heart tightened as he replied, “I will do my utmost to serve Your Grace.”

Even flattering was done so handsomely by Han Qi, Le Tian slowly said, “I plan to assign you a new task.”

Han Qi’s heart tightened even more. Could it be that this eunuch had discovered something? His waist knife, just stained with blood, was still warm. He quietly gripped the hilt of his dagger, lowering his voice, “I will follow your orders, Your Grace.”

Le Tian’s voice remained calm. “The Emperor is not young, yet still so frail. I’ve heard your martial arts are impressive. You should enter the palace and teach the Emperor martial arts.”

Han Qi was stunned, lifting his head to look at Le Tian. But when he met those sharp, piercing eyes that stared at him without blinking, deep and cold like a dark pool, he immediately lowered his head, suppressing his excitement. “I will obey your orders.”

“Tonight, come with me back to the palace and clean up,” Le Tian said slowly. “you reeks of blood.”

Han Qi bowed and withdrew.

System: “What are you planning to do?”

Le Tian: “Don’t think too much. Do you think I’d harm the Emperor’s tutor? Am I that kind of person?”

System: “I think you are exactly that kind of person.”

Le Tian: “Sweetheart, we’ve only been together for a short time, and you already understand me so well. Could this be what they call soulmates?”

System: “… You’d better not lay a finger on him.”

Le Tian finally picked up on the system’s hesitation. It was trying to warn him to stay away from Han Qi. But since the system refused to answer his questions, he didn’t press further. He wasn’t planning on doing anything to Han Qi anyway. After all, that would completely ruin his carefully built persona—and the world might collapse too. Just a little indulgence in eye-candy was enough.

After a long and exhausting day at the Eastern Depot, he secretly dealt with a few traitorous ministers under vague excuses like “he disrespected me” or “he’s simply not loyal to me, the 9,000-year-old official” and other similar pretexts.

Since he was naturally moody, suspicious, and ruthless, shifting from being allies to enemies without warning, his subordinates never suspected a thing.

As night fell, lanterns were lit in the Eastern Depot. The towering red gates, like the mouth of a giant beast, stood in the darkness, and the yellow lanterns swayed slightly in the evening breeze, their pearl tassels dancing.

A delicate and exquisite palace lantern was held by a pair of slender fingers with clearly defined knuckles. The figure standing as still as a pine tree was none other than Han Qi, waiting at the gate for Le Tian.

In the distance, a group of people arrived, encircling the 9,000-year-old official.

“Your Grace,” he lowered his head slightly.

Le Tian, not looking to either side, straightened his back and walked forward, but he took a step too big, and his foot slipped. As he swayed, he was about to fall when Han Qi, quick as lightning, shoved the lantern’s base into Le Tian’s waist, steadying him.

“Ah!” Le Tian let out a small cry, exhausted from the day. His voice was so weak it was almost as faint as a cat’s meow.

The eunuchs around him were shocked, ready to rush to his aid. “Your Grace!”

He immediately stopped them with a gesture. Silence fell around them. He turned his head and glared at Han Qi, “You have a lot of nerve.”

Han Qi realized he had made a mistake. He had subconsciously tried to avoid touching the eunuch, and his body had reacted instinctively.

“Your Grace, I didn’t dare touch you. Please forgive me,” he bowed slightly and explained.

The flickering light from the lantern danced under Le Tian’s eyelids. The flower shadows danced, half-clear, half-obscured, falling on Han Qi’s sharp nose. Le Tian thought to himself, He’s handsome, so he has a reason. I’ll let him off today.

He remained silent and gestured for a eunuch to help him into the palanquin. His soft skin was aching from the incident.

“Damn it, Han Qi is definitely hiding something!” he muttered angrily, thinking how he didn’t even offer to support him when he almost fell, yet still acted so roughly.

System: “he is the former Seventh Prince, Zong Yan’s older brother. He almost died at your hand.”