Liao Min looks at Xi Zirui as if it's the first time she's seeing him.
Her features rearrange themselves into a complex mixture of disbelief and amusement. "What?" she asks, her chin held high and the scales of her armor glimmering iridescently under the morning sun.
"I heard you agreeing to offer a minor god a post while bypassing proper channels." Xi Zirui says, straightening his back and making himself taller. "Something like that can get you in a lot of trouble."
Liao Min raises a single eyebrow at him. "And who is going to believe the brat who painted peacocks and set them loose in the imperial courtyards?"
That's a good point, but she's severely underestimating how desperate Xi Zirui is.
"Enough people will believe me. Enough to make a lot of trouble for you."
The smirk vanishes from her face, she no longer looks amused. "Just tell me what you want, it seems I'm in the mood to answer the prayers of the needful today."