Chapter 51 "It should be a mosquito."

As reason gradually returned, those enchanting, moist, and unspeakable memories of last night flooded back into my mind.

Ji Chengnin's white teeth were crunched loudly as he bit them.

You bastard, born!

He had never suffered such a great loss in his more than ten years of life, and he was unable to do anything to his opponent for the time being. His beautiful eyes were filled with murderous intent.

If he were to find that birthplace, Ji Chengning would reveal a savage smile and would chop off the man's fingers one by one along the joints!

“Cousin,” Ji Chengnin took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound normal. He was afraid that Cui Yao might barge in out of concern, so he emphasized Cui Yao’s identity. “Go to the corridor and have some tea while you wait for me. I’ll come find you after I change.”

Despite trying her best to suppress her emotions, Cui Yao, who had observed Young Master Ji meticulously and knew his words and actions almost inside and out, still noticed the awkwardness in Ji Chengnin's tone.

He smiled.

It seems I can already see it: Ji Chengnin's eyes are covered with a thin layer of red, and his face is full of resentment.

He said softly, "Yes."

But he still didn't leave; instead, he stood at the doorway.

Through the door, he seemed to hear the sticky, subtle sound of damp clothes being removed from a person's body.

His Adam's apple bobbed silently beneath his collar.

His eyes, burning with rage brighter than usual and more unapproachable, could easily rout the young marquis with just one hand, leaving him trembling uncontrollably.

Continuing...

"Alo!"

The smile in Cui Yao's eyes suddenly froze.

Ji Chengnin half-lifted the blanket, "Bring in a basin of hot water."

Alo accepted the order, "Yes."

Before leaving to carry out his orders, A Luo couldn't help but glance at Cui Yao one last time.

This wooden-like bodyguard felt he had no resentment towards Cui Yao; after all, he probably didn't even know what resentment was.

However, whenever he saw the gentle and elegant Miss Cui approaching the prince, he felt a kind of irritation, as if he were holding a grudge.

Cui Yao raised her lips, giving a perfectly curved smile—any less and it would have been no different from a regular smile.

His disguise as a woman not only reduced the prince's suspicions and made him more attentive and gentle, but it also meant that as long as he was still wearing Cui Yao's skin, he could not have any close relationship with Ji Chengning outside of etiquette and rules.

Unless he marries the crown prince.

Long fingers extended from the cuffs, and without Cui Yao even noticing, they crumpled the lotus pattern on the cuffs into a mess. Even if he went to great lengths to marry the young marquis—Cui Yao immediately rejected the possibility.

With his keen senses, he knew his identity might be exposed in the blink of an eye.

Absolutely not.

Don't create endless trouble for yourself just because of a momentary whim.

No, that's wishful thinking.

Sunlight streamed down, casting fan-shaped shadows around his eyes, making it impossible for Alo, who was passing by, to see his expression.

"Crunch."

The bedroom door was pushed open and then quickly closed.

A Luo, holding a basin of water, stood obediently outside the tent, saying, "Your Highness."

The tall figure lowered his head. "Does Your Highness need someone to serve you?"

Ji Chengnin said decisively, "No need."

Although both were men, Ji Chengning's thick skin hadn't yet reached the point where he needed to be served in this kind of situation.

Ji Chengning peeked out from under the curtain, her ears still flushed beneath her long hair. She threw a handkerchief into the water to soak it, wrung it out, and then took it back into the curtain.

The figure swayed.

Ji Chengnin, his face grim, continued working, saying, "A Luo, did you notice anything unusual last night?" He paused, his expression growing even darker, "For example, did you see figures entering and leaving my room?"

Alo said, "No."

"Neither strangers nor acquaintances are there?"

"Yes." Even the slow-witted A Luo realized something was wrong and suddenly looked up. "Your Highness, what happened?"

Ji Chengning pursed his lips into a thin line.

You can't exactly say that you were sexually assaulted last night by some unknown, indiscriminate person who couldn't tell if they were alive or male, and that it was all their doing...

"It's nothing," Ji Chengnin replied in a muffled voice.

Peeking out again, Ji Chengnin rinsed his handkerchief, his mind preoccupied, his gaze inadvertently falling on the window screen.

The color of the window screen resembled the mist rising after rain, and I had no idea what material it was made of; even the sunlight filtering in was incredibly soft.

Ji Chengnin squinted uncomfortably, as if he had been blinded by the sunlight. "Who ordered the window screens to be changed?"

"Your Highness, it is the Second Master."

Upon hearing this, Ji Chengning pressed his temples vigorously.

Having come this far, and unable to extract any useful information, Ji Chengnin simply shut up, took care of himself, and then washed his face and changed his clothes.

The towel had just been soaked in well water and was pressed tightly against his face, which startled Ji Chengning so much that his sleepiness vanished instantly.

The thin eyelids turned red from the cold water.

Ji Chengnin stared at himself in the mirror.

It's like she cried all night... Ugh!

After changing into his official robes, black boots, and jade belt, Ji Chengning straightened his hair ornament, looked around, and thought to himself, "What an imposing and awe-inspiring young man, one who makes all evil spirits tremble in fear."

His official robes were rather ordinary, not even as good-looking as his everyday clothes. It was mainly because he was handsome, dashing, and debonair that he wore them with great flair.

After praising himself thoroughly, from his appearance and demeanor to his character and abilities, Ji Chengnin stepped out of the bedroom, completely satisfied.

As he went outside, he saw a very handsome young man sitting under the eaves, slowly drinking tea from a jade cup. His fingers, resting on the rim of the cup, were even whiter and more translucent than the cup itself.

Her eyebrows were lowered, and her long, raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled lightly, her expression serene and cold.

“Ah Yao”.

Cui Yao looked up.

Before Ji Chengning spoke, a smile already filled his eyes.

"Your Highness."

Ji Chengning apologized for keeping him waiting.

Cui Yao said softly, "No matter how long we wait for the young master, it's not a long wait."

Ji Chengning picked up a small pastry from the tea table. Although he enjoyed it, he still raised his chin and sneered, "Stop using those sweet nothings from those storybooks. If you want A-Yao to wait a lifetime, do you really think A-Yao can have the patience to wait for me?"

Cui Yao raised her eyes, her gaze clear and calm like autumn water, and asked earnestly, "Would the Crown Prince make me wait that long?"

Ji Chengnin paused in chewing the cake, "That's hard to say."

Cui Yao's smile remained gentle. "The Crown Prince wouldn't."

A handsome, sharp face, as clear as a blade, suddenly drew closer. "Ah Yao, I'm so worried about you."

The warm fragrance emanating from Ji Chengnin wafted towards me.

Amidst the luxurious fragrance, he also caught a faint scent of the calming incense he had placed in the burner the previous night.

Cui Yao couldn't help but smile, "Hmm?"

"You're so easily fooled. What if you get tricked by someone with just a few words in the future?"

Cui Yao lowered her eyes, only smiling without saying a word.

Seeing Cui Yao's submissive demeanor, Ji Chengning secretly sensed something was wrong and made a firm decision: if Cui Yao were to get married in the future, he would have to be the one to meet her.

As he was contemplating what would happen eight hundred lifetimes from now, his cousin gently asked, "Your Highness, you're sleeping more soundly than usual today. Did you have a wonderful dream and don't want to wake up?"

Ji Chengnin snapped back to reality.

The cold breath seemed to still echo in my ears.

Ji Chengning snorted coldly to himself, thinking, "I didn't have a good dream, but I'm really being haunted by evil spirits!"

Not wanting to reveal this to his cousin, he simply said, "No, I was just too tired yesterday and overslept. I hope you didn't find this amusing."

“Your Highness works tirelessly day and night, it must be very tiring,” Cui Yao said, lowering his eyes. “Official duties are important, but your health is even more important.”

Ji Chengning pinched his earlobe.

Cui Yao subconsciously followed his movements and saw a soft, white mass nestled between his long, cold, and hard bones. Because his master had used too much force, a red mark immediately appeared when he released his grip.

Cui Yao forced herself to look away. "What are you doing?"

"Feel if you've developed calluses," Ji Chengnin replied earnestly.

Cui Yao shook her head and smiled.

Ji Chengning also smiled.

The sticky, tingling, and slightly chilling sensation from last night vanished completely upon seeing Cui Yao in the sunlight.

After having breakfast, the two went to the government office together.

"Hurry up, hurry up and clean it up!"

"Sir, what should we do with these papers?"

"How... throw it into the stove and burn it! Don't make a sound, whatever you do, whatever you do, don't let the Director know!"

Ji Chengning half-lifted the carriage curtain and saw Lü Zhongzheng directing three servants to sweep and scatter paper. Snowflake-like pieces of paper swayed in the wind. Although most of the paper on the ground had been swept away, there were still pieces of paper, about the size of a palm, in the corners and edges. From a distance, they looked like paper money for the dead.

Ji Chengnin smiled and asked, "What can't I know?"

Caught off guard, Lü Zhong stumbled in fright, stammering, "Big, big..."

"Big, what's so big about it?" Ji Chengnin asked jokingly, mimicking his tone.

Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and Ji Chengning stretched out his long arm and grabbed two pieces of paper.

The paper was extremely rough and prickly to the touch; it was clearly the cheapest hemp paper available.

Ji Chengnin skimmed through the text, scanning the crimson words at a glance.

It was said that Ji Chengning, the chief of the Qinglu Guard, in order to quell the incident, resorted to torture and, when that failed, unjustly killed an honest man... In short, it was a combination of rumors about Zhang Yuhuai, followed by condemnation of him as a treacherous villain who misled the country and its people, and said that even the execution of the axe could not appease public anger!

Liu said: "The guest who eats clouds."

It almost sounds like a proclamation against a thief.

Ji Chengning responded with an "oh".

He was so engrossed in looking at the paper that he didn't notice Cui Yao suddenly crumpling it into a ball after reading its contents.

He calmly asked, "Did you see what the person who scattered the paper looked like?"

Lu Zhong was startled by the seemingly calm yet chilling tone in the man's voice and instinctively stammered, "Reporting to you, sir, no, there is none."

"What time?"

"At about 5:45 a.m., the people left behind heard the noise and rushed out, only to see a figure galloping away on horseback."

“Go…” Ji Chengning looked up.

Lu Zhong was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, but dared not wipe it away, and was almost in tears.

Ji Chengning gently squeezed Cui Yao's wrist.

The latter paused in his speech and looked at Ji Chengnin.

Ji Chengning smiled dismissively, "Ayao, why bother with such trivial matters?"

It seems that the news that the imperial examination was proceeding normally has already been sent out, and everyone will naturally assume that he was in a hurry to complete his task, so he hastily killed Zhang Yuhuai and then reported to the higher authorities that nothing had happened.

His Majesty, misled by this treacherous minister, allowed the imperial examination to begin in three days.

Your Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler, but alas, there are treacherous officials in court.

Therefore, it is only natural that he, as the instigator, should be condemned by public opinion and written criticism.

Ji Chengnin didn't take it seriously. "Besides, who are the people who write proclamations throughout history? Only the greatest traitors of the country and those in high positions of power. This is wishing your master a bright future."

He was so insatiable that he wasn't afraid of being bitten by lice, and he even thought with great interest that the writing style was ruthless, and those useless officials in the Censorate should really learn from Canyunke what it means to curse.

Cui Yao remained silent.

Seeing a faint bloodshot tinge in Cui Yao's eyes, Ji Chengning patted Cui Yao's shoulder and said, "I know you're worried about me, dear Yao, I understand your feelings."

Cui Yao was startled.

A sudden sense of fear rose within him.

The fear of having one's thoughts easily seen through.

He looked at Ji Chengnin, and finally nodded hesitantly and slowly, "Your Highness, I feel a little dizzy and would like to sit in the carriage for a while."

"I'll go call Chen..."

Cui Yao grabbed him and gave a somewhat pale smile, "I just need to rest for a while, there's no need to trouble Mr. Chen."

Seeing his insistence, Ji Chengnin had no choice but to go along with him.

Because Li Bi came to deliver documents, he gave Cui Yao a few more instructions out of concern before getting out of the carriage and entering the government office.

Cui Yao's smile vanished the moment Ji Chengning disappeared from sight.

Cui Yao picked up the paper that Ji Chengning had casually tossed aside.

A comparison of several images reveals that the font is exactly the same, clearly indicating that they were written by the same person.

No, that's not right.

Even if the ink is of uniform depth, it will still vary when written by hand, no matter how steady or experienced the writer is.

It looks like it was printed on with something.

Woodcut printing is now available, but the fonts tend to be rounded, and woodcuts are very easy to damage, with missing or incomplete strokes at the edges and corners.

Cui Yao said, "Lü Zhong, give me the papers you just swept up."

Lu Zhong heard that Ji Chengning meant that he would not pursue the matter, but he could not afford to offend Mr. Cui, who seemed gentle and kind but actually gave him an indescribable sense of terror.

Moreover, offending him is tantamount to offending the crown prince.

Lu Zhong hurriedly picked out several dozen relatively clean sheets of paper and handed them over.

Cui Yao unfolded the paper on the table.

The pen is unusually sharp and does not appear to be a wood carving.

Cui Yao lowered his brows, his murderous aura undisguised.

Copper engraving?

Although copper-engraved books are highly sought after, they are also very expensive, and nowadays most bookstores no longer use copper plates.

However, they used rough paper.

Clearly, the person who printed the inscription had considered that if Ji Chengning were to conduct a thorough investigation, he would only think of the poor classmates who were speaking out for Zhang Yuhuai.

Cui Yao applied slight pressure to her hand.

A flash of cold light, and the paper in my hand was instantly shredded into pieces, which floated down lightly.

There were very few booksellers in the entire capital who could afford to use copper coins.

Cui Yao raised her lips, but her eyes held only a chilling killing intent.

Who could it be?

...

It was half an hour later when Cui Yao entered the government office.

As for where he went and what he did during this time, since Ji Chengnin didn't care, no one asked.

As usual, Cui Yao was in the study reviewing and filtering documents for Ji Chengning.

After Li Bi finished speaking, his mouth was dry. He received a cup of fragrant tea from the young marquis and gulped it down.

Cui Yao glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her expression blank.

He had assumed the man would leave after finishing his tea, but Li Bi showed no awareness of disturbing others. "Sir, yours," Li Bi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, cautiously pointing to the back of his neck, "You have..."

Cui Yao suddenly looked up.

Ji Chengnin reacted even more strongly than him.

Did that bastard touch his neck yesterday?!

"Oh—" Ji Chengnin seemed to suddenly realize, "No wonder my neck was itchy all morning," he said, scratching it symbolically a couple of times, "It must be mosquitoes."

Li Bi shut up.

He meant to say that some hair was hanging down.

With her boss's eyes darting around, Li Bi, even a fool, would realize she had stumbled upon something. It must be that the young marquis had a tryst with some fiery beauty last night, and she thought the other woman had left a mark on her!

Li Bi chuckled dryly, "Hahaha, so it's a mosquito. What a big mosquito."

Ji Chengnin slammed his hand on the table, making the surface shake. "The mosquitoes in Luojing are indeed huge, they're a unique feature of Luojing, aren't they, A-Yao?"

Cui Yao calmly put down her pen and replied with a smile, "Yes."

Just laugh it off and let it go.

The next two days passed uneventfully.

On the morning of the day of the imperial examination, Ji Chengning, as usual, led his men to inspect and train. During this time, he also had the leisure to visit his mentor Li Wensheng at the Imperial Academy, chatting with Mr. Li for half an hour before returning home satisfied—although, according to the students at the Imperial Academy at the time, the young marquis was probably kicked out by Mr. Li.

It was as if all the turmoil had subsided with Zhang Yuhuai's death.

So the spies who had been secretly monitoring the Qingluwei government office quietly withdrew.

noon.

The shadow of the needle on the sundial points to 4:45 noon.

Ji Chengning stood up abruptly. "Li Bi," he said, taking a list from his sleeve, "go and call out these one hundred people, have them line up, and come out with me."

Li Bi was puzzled, but he immediately took the list and said decisively, "Yes!"

In no time, a hundred men were fully equipped and ready to go, waiting for Ji Chengning's order.

Ji Chengnin's gaze fell on the sundial.

An hour and a half has passed since the examination questions were announced.

Ji Chengnin raised his lips and said loudly, "Fellow colleagues, follow me!"

Go to the examination hall and see what those demons and monsters are doing in broad daylight, under the clear sky!

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Author's Note: A red envelope is dropping in this chapter. Goodnight, my dear wife.