Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Don't go with him, stay with me

The night breeze blows gently, carrying the moist rain and dew across my cheeks.

Jiang Hexue held the wooden box and stared at the young man in front of him without blinking.

He was wearing a black suit that she had never seen before. It had no embroidery, only dark lines on the edges of the narrow sleeves. His black hair was tied up high, his figure was as tall as a bamboo, and his eyebrows and eyes were colder than jade.

But he was smiling.

The beautiful peach blossom eyes are slightly curved at the corners, and the clear pupils reflect the bright moonlight after the rain. The expression is more quiet and gentle than the lingering spring water.

The thin lips that she had just roughly rubbed were slightly red, and the corners of her lips were raised in a beautiful smile.

Leng Bai picked up the purple-ivory black collar from the wooden box with his long fingers. He lowered his head and carefully put it around her neck. Then he bent down slightly, put his arm around her neck, and fastened the gold buckle.

Jiang Hexue lowered his head in shock, looking at the gorgeous and exquisite purple-ivory-black collar around his neck.

The moonlight was bright, and the plump purple teeth were bright and dazzling. She couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the golden thread.

Her heartbeat was faster than ever before, and she even felt that Shen Qingchen could hear such a loud noise.

A handsome face suddenly appeared in front of me.

It was Shen Qingchen who lowered her body and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Don't cry anymore, Qingqing."

The corner of her eye touched his cold fingertips, and the temperature, which was similar to the one in her dream, suddenly shocked Jiang Hexue, and her eyes instinctively turned red again.

She held his hand tightly, eager to absorb his usual warmth, but the gauze bandage on his palm rubbed against hers and she found it unbearable.

The smell of blood in the air grew stronger as he got closer, and before she could lift her nose, it rushed into her nostrils.

"Let me see." Jiang Hexue turned over his palm and looked at the snow-white gauze wrapped around the base of his palm.

"It's okay." Shen Qingchen retracted his hand and put it behind his back.

The bedroom fell silent.

Jiang Hexue stared at his tightly pursed lips in astonishment, and then instinctively took a step back, with the tip of his shoe and the shadow of hers missing by an inch.

"Zhaohua," she raised her head, her voice soft and gentle. "But I've never seen you hurt."

"These days, I'm not just worried about this collar." She walked closer to him, and the toe of her shoes touched his.

The sweet voice is more gentle than the lingering spring breeze that leaks in through the window.

"I'm more worried about you."

-

Shen Qingchen's visible injuries were not serious. Compared with the bloody and dying Jiang Heye he saw in Renshu Temple, it could be said to be a "minor fight".

But Jiang Hexue couldn't tell which one she was more worried or more distressed about.

Applying the cool ointment to the small wounds on the back of his hand, Shen Qingchen withdrew again: "It's really okay."

He glanced at the clepsydra and said, "It's almost three o'clock in the morning. Go change clothes and rest early."

Jiang Hexue didn't move. She reached out to hook the belt around his waist, but when she touched the hidden buckle, he grabbed her wrist.

"It's still fourteen now." Shen Qingchen said in a low and calm voice. "Wait patiently for another day."

Her favorite gold chain was not in the palace, her clothes were not there, and her jiaoweiqin was not there. His technique for playing that exotic song was a little rusty and needed to be reviewed.

"Let's see." Jiang Hexue's ears flushed red. "I don't have any other intentions."

Shen Qingchen did not loosen the strength in his hands and refused to allow it.

She had already lost interest in his body.

Now that he's still injured, I'm afraid he won't suit her at all.

"Husband..." But Jiang Hexue rubbed his hand, dragged out the ending tone, and spoke in a soft and coquettish voice.

Shen Qingchen couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

He thought, perhaps he should be happy. At least after not seeing her for so many days, she didn't reject him. She carefully applied medicine to the wound on his hand and wanted to be closer to him.

But he hoped that she could ask him something else.

Ask him where he went and who he met...

But he still shouldn't ask for more.

After a moment of silence, Shen Qingchen lowered his eyes, held her hand, and unfastened the hidden buckle of the belt around his waist.

The embroidered belt fell to the ground, loosening the tight-fitting clothes. He still didn't let go of her hand, holding it tightly against his chest.

The secret buttons inside were undone one by one, and the black robe fell to the ground, revealing a close-fitting moon-white inner garment.

He called it Yuebai only because Jiang Hexue knew that he had only cut Yuebai's inner garments.

She had been to his bedroom in the palace, and except for the bright red inner dress he wore when he got married, the wardrobe was entirely moon-white.

But now the clothes on his body have been stained dark red by the blood.

Jiang Hexue couldn't help but gasp.

Shen Qingchen let go of her hand, and said in a very light voice: “Dirty.”

He quickly untied the belt on his waist and casually pressed his underwear over the tights he had just taken off, revealing his naked upper body to her.

His skin was still cold and white, and his muscles were still well-defined, but Jiang Hexue had no intention of appreciating them now.

Her eyes fell directly on the gauze on his waist and abdomen.

It was wrapped hastily and untidyly several times, and the bleeding from the wound was naturally poorly stopped and was still oozing out.

"Take it off and reapply the medicine." Jiang Hexue said, reaching out to untie it. "How did you get hurt like this..."

"You want to check my wound." She carefully untied most of the gauze, and Shen Qingchen slowly understood. "It's not that I want to..."

He was too embarrassed to say the second half of the sentence.

But Jiang Hexue understood, and couldn't help but put a little more strength in his hands, feeling angry and embarrassed: "I really am not that envious!"

When all the gauze was removed, Jiang Hexue discovered that the wounds on his waist and abdomen were more serious than she had imagined. The knife wound ran across most of his abdomen, and it was even more glaring and terrifying against his cold white skin.

She dipped her fingertips in the ointment and leaned over to apply it on him, her eyebrows furrowed, and her phoenix eyes were clearly filled with heartache and worry.

The translucent ointment melted coolly on the wound. The girl's fingertips were soft and white, and her movements were gentle and careful, as if she was treating something extremely precious to her.

Shen Qingchen didn't dare to look down at her for long. Her long eyelashes trembled a few times, and she turned her eyes to the side, staring at the poppies outlined by gold thread on the hem of her ivory skirt.

The shape of the poppy flower is very similar to that of the opium poppy, but the former is a symbol of love and loyalty, while the latter is a beautiful deception.

And she... is undoubtedly the latter.

The words she said to Fu Wang that day with a smile, "I am very good at lying," echoed in her ears again.

Shen Qingchen found it hard not to agree.

Her skills were indeed superb, and he could not detect any flaws. Even now, he wanted to indulge himself and pretend to be ignorant, and indulge in it consciously.

But no.

She wanted to go back to Liangzhou with Fu Wang, but she didn't know when or whether she would say goodbye to him.

Only then did the knife wounds on my waist and abdomen begin to hurt.

Shen Qingchen finally raised his hand and gently hooked her fingertips on his chest.

"Have you had any these days?" He rubbed the white jade ring he had put on her thumb before leaving, and asked in a low voice. "If so, how many points?"

-

Jiang Hexue told him that she couldn't count the number of times, maybe a little over ten thousand, or probably more. In short, she missed him so much that she couldn't eat or sleep at night.

Even in my dreams, those blood-stained arrows kept appearing.

After the bandage was rewrapped, Shen Qingchen put his arm around her shoulders and told her in detail what had happened in the past few days.

He had made arrangements in advance for both Minister Zhou's Mansion and Duke Ling's Mansion, and the blood-stained feather arrows were also prepared in advance, but he sent secret guards to drop them at pre-determined locations.

Then he found another secret guard of the same height as him, wearing the white clothes he usually wore, and he was the young man in white that the people around him had talked about.

Jiang Hexue's eyes widened in surprise: "So... you've deceived His Majesty?"

"How is that considered a scam?" Shen Qingchen said calmly. "On the night of the ninth day, I did go to Minister Zhou's residence and Duke Ling's residence, but I didn't visit them. Naturally, no one in the two residences knew about it. This is a fact."

"The feathered arrows we found were indeed the ones my brother gave me when I came of age. As for the Zhou and Su families being hostile to me, that was all his personal consideration. The thorough investigation of both houses was also his personal decree."

"The two government offices' secret rooms, the government silver, and the fake accounts were all their own fault. Now that the entire government is imprisoned, it's a well-deserved punishment."

Jiang Hexue rolled her eyes and whispered, "Zhaohua, have you been planning to bring down the Zhou and Su families for a long time?"

Shen Qingchen did not deny it: “Zhou only had the idea last year.”

"Why?"

"Mr. Zhou spoke rudely to you."

Jiang Hexue was stunned for a moment, then he didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I don't take those rumors to heart."

"That can't be confused." Shen Qingchen corrected, but the rest of the words were not spoken, and he continued. "The Ministry of Revenue is corrupt, and a thorough investigation will also benefit the country."

Jiang Hexue nodded to indicate her agreement, but then she remembered a more important point: "The Zhou family was last year, but the Su family has been planning this for a long time... Why? Isn't that your mother's family?"

Shen Qingchen didn't answer, and she didn't want to force him, so she changed the subject: "Then where have you been these days?"

"I'm looking for your collar and the owner of Qimengxuan." Shen Qingchen didn't reveal the result, but said, "Madam Su is now imprisoned. If you have any questions about the collar, you and I will go to interrogate her tomorrow night."

Jiang Hexue nodded. She just guessed that the collar was brought to Kyoto by Fu Wang. She had to go to Su Min'er to confirm the details.

Although Shen Qingchen was injured, he returned without losing any arms or legs. The huge stone in her heart finally fell to the ground, and her mind became peaceful. She snuggled in his arms for a while, and the fatigue that had accumulated over the past few days floated up layer by layer and swallowed her.

"Go turn off the lights," she murmured. "I want to sleep till the sun is high in the sky, and even the gods themselves can't wake me."

Shen Qingchen extinguished all the candles, leaving only an octagonal embroidered bamboo palace lantern, which she placed on a table farther away from her, half-covered with her inner garments, temporarily serving as a night pearl.

Lying back on the couch, Jiang Hexue instinctively moved closer to the source of heat, her legs habitually curled up around his waist. Dimly, she remembered his injury again, turned over angrily, and pressed on his hidden sac.

"Don't go." Shen Qingchen's tone was hoarse.

Jiang Hexue explained vaguely, mumbling, "Tiantian, why are you still willing to be pressed by me... or do you need a hug too?"

She lazily grabbed his forearm and placed it around her waist: "Hold me like this."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qingchen moved closer to her, and his palm fell on the edge of the quilt to press it down for her.

The silver moon hung high in the sky, and the breathing of the girl in his arms soon became even and long, but Shen Qingchen was not sleepy at all.

He restrained himself from using too much force to wake her up, and looked over the quilt, lowering his eyes to see her restlessly exposed ankles.

The golden chain on it was tied loosely, as if it would fall off if she lifted her foot or kicked.

After a moment, he leaned over and carefully moved the lock two rings inward and tightened it.

In this way, any slight movement she made at night would wake him up.

He was not afraid that she would quietly leave while he was sleeping... and escape to Liangzhou with Fu Wang.

"Qingqing," Shen Qingchen rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice hoarse. "Don't go with him."

"Stay with me."