Chapter 48 These things Guitang can do for the princess…

The two tacitly avoided mentioning that moonlit night filled with the aroma of wine and bitterness.

Shen Guitang sat up, one hand supporting her on the rocking chair and the other on her chin, her posture relaxed and languid, yet her eyes held a subtle glint.

Have you had dinner?

Hengbo was still a little awkward, but when he started talking about everyday things, she temporarily suppressed her troubling emotions. She and the young master had eaten and strolled around and had already filled their stomachs to about 80% full, but seeing Shen Guitang's appearance, she inexplicably shook her head.

"Then let's go together." Shen Guitang was about to get off the rocking chair when she suddenly remembered something and stopped herself.

He held out a hand: "Can you help me up?"

Upon hearing this, Hengbo looked at him suspiciously. This person looked like he had all his arms and legs, but why did he seem like he couldn't take care of himself?

Shen Guitang was not unaware of Hengbo's hesitation, but he remained motionless, simply smiling and waiting for her to come.

Seeing his expression, Hengbo knew perfectly well that he was just a simple scoundrel. She silently scolded him for being spoiled, but there was nothing she could do. Reluctantly, she stepped forward and took his hand.

However, before she could exert any force, her slender white fingers were grasped by a pair of large hands covered in calluses. For some reason, Hengbo was clearly stunned for a moment, not even noticing when the owner of the hands stood up.

"What are you thinking about?" A pleasant voice came from the head of the table, a sly smile still lingering on his lips.

Hengbo shook her head, but subconsciously stroked his palm lightly. Last time, perhaps because she felt guilty, she hadn't noticed the calluses on his palm. But now she suddenly realized that this shouldn't be something a well-bred scholar would have.

She had always known that Shen Guitang harbored a secret. But she also knew that for someone like him, ignorance was the greatest kindness.

Moreover, secrets are always heavy, and today, he was in a surprisingly good mood.

Not getting an answer from her, Shen Guitang stopped asking. He thought that he was probably just enjoying the quiet and peaceful evening. All his thoughts and worries seemed to be veiled by a layer of illusion, and only the person in front of him was real.

He took her hand and walked across the same bluestone path as that night, only this time, his feelings were no longer known only to the distant moon.

The people gathered around the table naturally didn't miss the two's hands clasped together. However, apart from Er Gou, who was staring intently at the two, the others were only slightly surprised for a moment before looking away, as if it was both unexpected and reasonable.

Hengbo, who had struggled symbolically for a moment but immediately became obedient after being suppressed, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although she did not reject Shen Guitang's approach, she was not yet ready to reveal herself in front of everyone.

The meal was unusually quiet compared to usual, and after the meal, only Hengbo and Shen Guitang remained at the table.

Shen Guitang knew that Hengbo was still a little uncomfortable, and that patience was needed most at times like these. Therefore, he stopped testing Hengbo's attitude and instead started talking about unrelated things.

"The person who attacked us at the imperial tomb has been found. Shall we go see him together tomorrow?"

Hengbo was always concerned about the old spider demon's identity in the tomb, so she agreed without hesitation. As for the young master, it would be a good opportunity for him to attend to his own affairs.

Shen Guitang was not surprised at all by Hengbo's acceptance, or rather, he deliberately wanted to lure Hengbo away, because that young master of Cangjian Manor was ultimately too much of an eyesore.

After explaining the next day's itinerary to Hengbo, Shen Guitang no longer restrained her and allowed her to leave the manor. Over the years, patience had been his greatest asset.

The next day, an unremarkable carriage sped out of the city gates and headed towards the outskirts of the capital. Inside the carriage, Shen Guitang briefly explained the information they had gathered so far to Hengbo.

It turns out that the old spider demon was able to live in the imperial tomb for so many years because he had some connection with a family in the village behind the tomb area.

According to the family, they didn't know who this old monster was, but in his younger days he often took out some valuable items to exchange for food. Generally, one item could be exchanged for enough food for a year or two.

The family must have guessed that the things the old monster gave them were of dubious origin, but they couldn't resist their greed and could only lie to the villagers, saying that it was a down-on-his-luck elder who had come to seek refuge with them. They kept it a secret for more than ten years.

If the people sent this time hadn't known that this was a matter personally ordered by the young master and dared not be careless, and if the old monster's injuries hadn't been so severe that the family had to call doctors several times, they still wouldn't have been able to find their way here.

“There is one thing you need to be prepared for,” Shen Guitang looked up at Hengbo opposite him, his face unusually serious. “That man is almost insane, and most of what he says is nonsense. We may not be able to get the information you want on this trip.”

Hengbo frowned, but he knew that given the current situation, it would be a pleasant surprise to get information out of the old spider demon, but there was no point in forcing it if he couldn't.

However, a hint of doubt appeared in Hengbo's eyes. Did Shen Guitang know what kind of information she wanted?

Shen Guitang smiled and said, "The princess simply wants to know the whole story of the incident at the Eastern Palace back then, and also to settle accounts with those people."

Before Hengbo could react, a deep, seductive voice rang in her ear: "Guitang can do all of these for the princess, as long as the princess agrees to one thing from Guitang."

Hengbo looked directly at him, but did not immediately agree.

Seeing her wary look, Shen Guitang didn't explain. He shook his fan, creating a cool breeze, as if to say to someone, "This matter is not urgent."

To avoid attracting attention, the old spider demon and the family where he was hiding were secretly controlled by the people of Buming Pavilion in the village.

The person guarding the courtyard immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Shen Guitang arrive: "Young Master."

Whether it was Shen Guitang's instruction or not, those people showed no sign of wariness when they saw Hengbo, and openly told the two of them about the current progress.

“This old monster has many tricks up his sleeve. Even when he was seriously injured, he didn’t stop. We had no choice but to seal his internal energy. We also found Ghost Hand to treat his injuries, and now he’s finally cooperating. Ghost Hand said that his current mental impairment is due to a mistake in his training. Although he has always claimed to be the former emperor, “Ghost Hand said that this man is a eunuch.”

Was he a eunuch?

Shen Guitang and Hengbo exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of contemplation in each other's eyes. It seemed Hengbo had made the right decision to come this time.

"Take us to meet the person first," Shen Guitang said. In any case, they had to meet the person before they could take the next step.

"yes."

They put everyone in the underground storage room. The old monster was treated better; he had a tattered straw mat to lie on.

The family that originally lived here were all tied up and forced to sit in a row against the wall, including their five- or six-year-old children. To prevent them from crying, each of them had their mouths stuffed with rags, making their breathing sounds particularly loud in the stagnant, enclosed space.

Hengbo looked at the people who had all been filled with fear since they came in and couldn't help but twitch her eyebrows. She glanced at Shen Guitang as if to ask him if he really didn't start out as a bandit.

Under normal circumstances, Shen Guitang would never have to do such a thing himself. Moreover, Shen Guitang never claimed to be a righteous person. As long as the rules were not broken, he was too lazy to restrain the people in the pavilion.

However, at this moment he suddenly regretted revealing his identity to Hengbo too early. He coughed lightly, looking like he was giving a lecture: "Although our Yige is doing good deeds, we need to be more careful in our actions in the future, and never implicate innocent people."

He pointed to the two men standing guard beside the group of villagers, saying, "You two take them up and calm them down, just make sure they don't cause any trouble." Then he emphasized, "Do not kill anyone."

The two people he pointed at were completely confused. How come the name of Bumingge was changed while they were on a mission? Hanging Pavilion? The Hanging as in hanging oneself?

However, no matter what they suspected in their hearts, none of them dared to actually ask the question to the other person's face, and could only obediently do their work. They were all top-notch at killing, but they had absolutely no experience in calming others down.

When faced with the villagers' sudden and violent struggle, the two men habitually threatened, "If you want to live, behave yourself." One of them even made a throat-slitting gesture, while the other roughly carried a bound person away.

As a result, the expressions on the faces of the villagers became even more fearful, and even filled with deep despair.

Shen Guitang: ...

Even the naive Hengbo could tell that these people weren't good people, but since they weren't in any danger, he kept quiet. Besides, greed knows no bounds; they deserved a lesson.

The commotion disturbed the old monster who was lying fully clothed on the straw mat. As his eyelids fluttered and he slowly woke up, Hengbo subconsciously drew the sword from his back and stood in front of Shen Guitang. Although the old spider demon was now seriously injured and his weapon had been taken away, the painful experience last time made Hengbo unable to take him lightly.

Behind her, Shen Guitang's anger, which had just been ignited by those two idiots, was instantly soothed by the actions of the person in front of her, and even the corners of her lips unconsciously curled up slightly.

Hengbo was completely unaware of this, but the person leading the way beside Shen Guitang felt the temperature around them rise considerably. Heaven knows how terrified he had been just now, given his keen ability to read people's expressions.

However, Hengbo, with his sword intent sharp and menacing, adopted a stance as if facing a formidable enemy. Upon seeing the situation before him, the old monster suddenly burst into tears, sobbing, "My son! You died so tragically!"

Hengbo:……

Hengbo was so shocked by him that she almost dropped her sword. Had she become someone else's son after becoming her own father? And a ghost son at that?!

However, before she could process the situation, the old monster dropped another bombshell: "That bastard Ji Heng has brought such harm to my son and me. I will not let him off lightly!"

Ji Heng? A bastard?

Hengbo turned to look at Shen Guitang, both of them wearing the same grave expression: it seemed they were about to get into big trouble again...

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 17:43:04 on February 28, 2024 and 00:59:30 on March 3, 2024!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 32255096 (1 landmine);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!