Seeing him come in, Meng Zhao sat down in the chair and sneered, "You have plenty of energy. You've been up all night and still have time to go out and do things."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe took small steps to her side and said with her head down, "Sister, I'm sorry, I did something terrible."

Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow, "Now you know how to call me 'sister'?"

Shen Qinghe recalled the offensive terms she had used when she was aroused last night, and suddenly squatted down, saying, "Hit me if you want, I will never fight back."

"You think I wouldn't dare?" Meng Zhao pretended to raise his hand, but saw his long eyelashes tremble slightly as he closed his eyes, looking as if he was at Meng Zhao's mercy.

Meng Zhao chuckled inwardly, but ultimately didn't make a move. "Forget it, I'd rather not hit you than risk hurting my hand."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe opened his eyes and quickly grabbed her hand, which she hadn't yet pulled back. Looking at the faint red marks still visible on it, he couldn't help but rub it. "Does your hand hurt? Let me rub it for you." After saying that, he glanced up and stole a look at her expression.

A bite mark isn't a sprain, so why would you need to massage it like that? But seeing his cautious look, Meng Zhao didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she simply let him have his way. As a result, Shen Qinghe started by massaging her properly, but gradually it turned into him interlocking his fingers and playing with hers, occasionally rubbing her knuckles as if measuring the size of her hand.

Seeing his increasingly audacious actions, as if he would dare to take advantage of any opportunity, Meng Zhao was furious and abruptly pulled her hand back.

When his palm suddenly fell into empty air, Shen Qinghe looked up, his eyes filled with grievance. Meng Zhaoqiang suppressed his soft heart and thought to himself that he should not have spoiled him like this, otherwise this person would probably become unruly.

She straightened her sleeves and deliberately put on a cold face: "Tell me first, what exactly did you come to Huai'an for?"

Shen Qinghe frowned slightly: "Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"

“If it was just an inspection of the examination halls, how could I have been framed and almost…” Meng Zhao changed the subject to a more appropriate way of saying “almost ruined my official reputation” because it seemed inappropriate to say “lost my virginity”.

Upon hearing this, the grievance in Shen Qinghe's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sharp look. "I came here to investigate the assassination of the former Grand Canal Transport Commissioner. He is involved in several major cases, which cannot be resolved simply by his death."

Meng Zhao sighed. Just as he thought, that deadly case from his past life had fallen on him. "So, do you have anyone you suspect now?"

Shen Qinghe lowered his eyes and said, "So far, we have only found that Zhao De'an, the prefect of Huai'an, is involved."

Meng Zhao frowned. "The prefect of Huai'an is only a fourth-rank official, while the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner is a second-rank official. You know perfectly well that he can't be the person behind it all; at most, they're in the same boat."

Shen Qinghe's eyes darkened, and he suddenly said seriously, "You must not interfere in this matter anymore. I heard from Afu that you came to Huai'an to inspect your business. The bodyguards you hired did a good job, but it's not enough." As he spoke, he took out a token from his waist. "I will send Wei Ming with a few skilled men to accompany you. Once the business matters are settled, you will set off for the capital immediately."

"You've already guessed who's behind it all, haven't you?" Meng Zhao suddenly asked.

Shen Qing remained silent, and Meng Zhao continued, "Here's what you'll do: since you've just arrived in Huai'an and haven't had much contact with the area yet, find a reason to get rid of this hot potato."

Shen Qinghe suddenly leaned forward, "Are you worried about me?"

Meng Zhao took a deep breath. "I'm not joking with you. This matter has far-reaching implications. Even if you manage to accomplish it despite the risk of your life, you probably still won't gain the Emperor's favor."

“I know.” His voice was soft, but every word carried immense weight. “But this matter concerns the stability of the court and the justice of the people. If I back down because of difficulties, the court will send another incompetent person, allowing those corrupt officials to continue to roam free, and it will be the common people who suffer.”

Meng Zhao's eyes flickered slightly, "Even if you die?"

Shen Qinghe looked up with a smile and said, "If I deserted in the face of battle, I think you would definitely be unhappy."

"Who said that?" Meng Zhao retorted instinctively.

“I was trained by you, so of course I know. You came to remind me because you care about my safety, but if I really listen to you and leave, you will definitely be disappointed even if you don’t say it. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

Meng Zhao was startled, not expecting him to see through her so clearly. She snorted coldly, "It's as if you're doing this official position just for my sake."

Shen Qinghe nodded seriously: "Yes, without you, I might have become a treacherous minister."

Meng Zhao suddenly recalled Shen Qinghe, the manipulative figure in the book, who was indeed far from being a loyal and virtuous minister.

However, since he had decided to stay, Meng Zhao couldn't just do nothing. Seeing that he had been kneeling beside her ever since he entered the room, she couldn't help but frown and tug at his sleeve: "You've been busy all day, why are you squatting like this? Aren't you tired? Go get a stool and sit down to talk."

Shen Qinghe stood up and turned around, a triumphant smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.