Xie Yunqi had stood beside her without her knowing, his slender fingers still resting on the inkstone.

Seeing that she finally noticed him, Xie Yunqi raised the corners of his lips and revealed a smile that captivated everyone.

"Your Highness was so engrossed in watching that he didn't even notice me coming in."

Chu Qingluan's heart skipped a beat when she saw his smile. She glanced towards the door and said, "It seems like the guards of this post station should be replaced."

Although she said this, her body subconsciously leaned back and leaned against the back of the chair.

Xie Yunqi took advantage of the situation and stretched out his hand to hold the back of the chair. He stood back and moved Chu Qingluan and the chair halfway in front of the desk.

Chu Qingluan rubbed her brows pretending to be calm and said, "Prime Minister Xie, you broke into my study room late at night without permission. Aren't you afraid that it will be spread and damage your reputation?"

Xie Yunqi chuckled, but instead of stepping back, he reached out and gently pressed his warm fingers on Chu Qingluan's temple, rubbing it with just the right amount of force.

"If I cared about these false reputations, I would not have come to Youzhou regardless of everything."

His fingers had some calluses and felt a little rough, but they made people feel at ease for some reason.

Chu Qingluan wanted to avoid him, but the fatigue from working at the desk for days was relieved a lot by his massage, and she was reluctant to push him away.

She closed her eyes and hummed softly, "Thank you for being so attentive, is there something you want to ask of me?"

Xie Yunqi's hand slid slowly along her temples to the side of her neck. His thumb pressed lightly on her tense shoulders and neck, his voice low and mellow like wine.

"I do have something to report, but..." He leaned closer, his breath brushing against her ears, "I feel very sorry to see Your Highness working so hard, so let's discuss those trivial matters tomorrow."

Chu Qingluan felt a heat in the tips of her ears and her heartbeat quickened slightly.

She opened her eyes and saw Xie Yunqi's smile. It was obvious that he was teasing her on purpose. She couldn't help but reach out and slap his wrist away, saying angrily:

"Xie Yunqi, you——"

"Shh..."

Before Chu Qingluan finished speaking, Xie Yunqi suddenly stretched out a slender finger and gently pressed it against her lips.

The warm touch made Chu Qingluan's breathing pause.

"Don't talk."

His voice was soft, and the smile in his eyes gradually settled, turning into a deep tenderness.

Chu Qingluan frowned slightly, sensitively noticing that there was something strange about Xie Yunqi today.

"What's wrong?"

Xie Yunqi just held her lightly, resting his chin on her shoulder, with neither too much nor too little force.

"Your Highness, I am afraid that I can't stay in Youzhou City for two days."

Chu Qingluan's heart skipped a beat, and her first reaction was that something had happened in the capital.

"Why?"

"A letter came from the capital." He said in a low voice, with a hint of helplessness: "His Majesty ordered me to return to the capital immediately, saying that there was something unusual on the border."

Chu Qingluan's eyes turned cold, and she immediately reacted: "Chu Hong's work?"

"Your Highness is wise."

"He is under house arrest, but he can still stir up trouble. If I leave, you will be alone in Youzhou..."

He stared into her eyes, his gaze filled with worry.

Chu Qingluan pondered for a moment, then raised her eyebrows: "Are you worried that I can't handle it?"

Xie Yunqi chuckled and raised his hand to gently touch her face, but his hand stopped in mid-air the moment it met her gaze.

"I naturally know your Highness's abilities, but..." He paused, his eyes darkening.

"I can't bear to do that."

He said these three words very lightly, and his eyes were like a ball of thick ink that could not be dissolved, making it impossible to ignore. It was also like a piece of red-hot charcoal that made Chu Qingluan's heart tremble.

She looked away and said calmly, "When did Prime Minister Xie become so sentimental?"

"After meeting His Highness." He answered simply, still looking at her with burning eyes.

Chu Qingluan felt a slight heat on her ears, and when she was about to retort, he suddenly pulled her closer.

Xie Yunqi reached out and held the back of her head, resting his forehead lightly against hers. As their breaths blended, he whispered:

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you will put your own safety first."

"Xie Yunqi, I'm not that..."

"If anything happens to you," he suddenly interrupted her, his voice hoarse, "I will let the entire Youzhou be buried with you!"

His tone was so fierce that Chu Qingluan was stunned and forgot to push him away for a moment.

Chu Qingluan's heart seemed to be gently hit by something.

She has always been used to being independent and never relying on others, but the stubbornness and worry in Xie Yunqi's eyes at this moment made a crack in her hard heart.

She lowered her eyelashes and whispered: ...Okay.

Xie Yunqi's eyes moved slightly, as if he didn't expect her to agree so obediently.

He stared at Chu Qingluan for a moment, then took out a thin booklet from his sleeve and handed it to her.

"What's this?"

Chu Qingluan took the booklet, opened it, and her pupils shrank immediately.

It was densely packed with records of corruption, bribery, embezzlement of military pay, seizure of civilian land and other crimes committed by Youzhou officials such as Zhao Dequan and Wu Yong over the years, and even evidence of their secret dealings with Chu Hong.

Each one of them is enough to put them to death!

To find out all this evidence in such a short time, one can imagine how much effort Xie Yunqi put in behind the scenes.

"When did you—"

Chu Qingluan looked up at him, her voice a little tense.

Xie Yunqi looked calm, "On the first day I came to Youzhou, I asked someone to check it out."

"These people pretend to obey but actually disobey. If Your Highness wants to completely control Youzhou, you must root them out!"

Chu Qingluan clenched the booklet tightly, feeling a complex emotion in her heart.

He actually did so much for her secretly...

"There's one more thing." Xie Yunqi suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers in the air.

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