The emperor caught her with one hand and casually pressed her pressure point.

Qiao Qiu gritted her teeth. The Emperor's acupressure point struck her left shoulder with considerable force, causing her to feel a sharp pain in the injured area.

"Shen Junbai, how dare you deceive me!"

The emperor's face was covered with frost. He held her slender body and placed her on the pavilion chair. He took out a bottle from his bosom, pressed his finger to the mouth of the bottle, turned it upside down, dipped it in the 'medicine', and then applied it to her scars.

Qiao Qiu could smell that this was a "medicine" that could make the fake scars fall off. She hadn't expected the emperor to be so clever, having kept a backup plan.

Tearing away all his scars, the Emperor saw his appearance and his breath caught in his throat. His lips were like red pearls, his eyes like stars, his eyebrows like distant mountains, and his skin as white as jade. Even the most beautiful concubine in his palace could not compare to him.

"Tell me, why do you hide your true appearance?"

Qiao Qiu pursed her lips. "No comment."

The Emperor bent down and looked into her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, Qiao Qiu is you, isn't she?"

After saying that, he tapped her left shoulder twice.

Qiao Qiu recovered and found that her pressure points had been released. She clutched her left shoulder, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "What do you want?"

"You ask me what I want? I should be asking you what you want." The emperor took her hand, placed his fingers on her pulse, and began to take her pulse.

"You..." Qiao Qiu was stunned by his attitude. Did this guy want to turn against her or was he concerned about her?

"You probably don't know that you smell of gardenias, do you? I've been suspicious from the beginning, but I didn't show it because I didn't have direct evidence. You acted quite well; I almost got fooled by you. I noticed yesterday that your injury was abnormal. How could someone who practices martial arts have a weaker lower body than an ordinary person? Just now, I noticed that your internal energy was not flowing smoothly, and there were faint signs of blocked meridians. I guessed that there might be something wrong with your meridians..." The Emperor rambled on, explaining all his suspicions, his brows furrowing more and more deeply.

Qiao Qiu pursed her lips, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She had foreseen everything, except for the fact that the emperor was actually a highly skilled physician.

The Emperor released her wrist. "The injury to your shoulder will heal in two days. However, your hand and foot injuries cannot be fully cured. I can prescribe some pain-relieving medicine for you. Is your concealment of your appearance related to your injuries?"

Qiao Qiu's lips twitched. Was this emperor's IQ off the charts?

"If you don't speak, I'll take that as your consent. Have you taken your revenge?" The Emperor sat down beside her.

"I've submitted it." Qiao Qiu pulled down her sleeve and leaned back in her chair.

"The opportunity to curry favor is gone," the emperor sighed in regret.

Qiao Qiu laughed and put on the mask. "Your choice of words is always so strange, and you're strange too. One minute you're incredibly wise, the next you're refined and elegant, then you seem like a doctor, and now you seem like..."

"A rogue?" The Emperor reached out to help her.

"You're not quite a rogue." Considering how He Qixie usually treated her, this emperor was definitely a gentleman.

"Then what do I resemble?"

Qiao Qiu's eyes darted around. What did he look like? Of course, he looked like an ordinary young man pursuing his sweetheart, but she would never say that.

"Silly boy who likes you but can't win you over?" The Emperor leaned close to her ear, his eyes filled with amusement.

Qiao Qiu was startled and dodged to the side. With a thud, her head hit the pillar, making her wince in pain.

The Emperor raised his hand to rub her skin, his tone apologetic, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was just joking. You're a man, and I never really had any feelings for a man."

Qiao Qiu's heart, which had been in her throat with fright, suddenly calmed down. "Your Majesty, you're really going to scare people to death."

The Emperor laughed, "If I don't scare you a little, I won't feel like I'm talking to a mortal."

Qiao Qiu was speechless; she had never seen an emperor like this before. She had thought Zhao Yuze was already eccentric enough, but this one was even more bizarre.

...

It was already dark when Qiao Qiu returned to the Shen residence from the prefect's mansion.

Upon his return, the emperor, to express his apology, demonstrated his medical skills on the spot and healed the injury on her left shoulder.

So now Qiao Qiu is completely unharmed and painless.

Upon returning to the manor, Qiao Qiu immediately sent a message by carrier pigeon to Liu Yibu, instructing him to thoroughly investigate the ten wealthiest merchants. Now that they had decided to deal with them, it was essential to understand everything about them to ensure victory in every battle.

However, she thought that the top ten richest businessmen must have sent people to investigate as well, and perhaps their people were still mixed in with some of the smaller industries.

The next day, Qiao Qiu was invited to the prefect's residence again. This time she was less wary. Her mask had been torn off, so why should she bother with anything?

Not long after she left, He Qixie, who had rushed from Shuzhou to Xiangzhou, arrived. However, he did not see Qiao Qiu when he entered the Shen Mansion.

Hearing that she had gone to the prefect's residence, He Qixie went to wait outside the prefect's residence.

Half a day later, Qiao Qiu came out.

He Qi Xie raised a big smile and was about to call her when he saw a handsome and refined young nobleman coming out behind her.

The young nobleman was exceptionally handsome, and standing next to Qiao Qiu, they were like a beautiful painting, a sight to behold.

Bah, to hell with the idea of ​​breathtaking beauty! It's just glaringly ugly no matter how you look at it!

He Qixie felt as if something was blocking his throat, and he couldn't say anything. He felt extremely uncomfortable.

After saying goodbye to the Emperor, Qiao Qiu turned around and saw the righteous and simple-minded young man under the willow tree.

Seeing her looking over, He Qixie turned and left.

Qiao Qiu raised an eyebrow. What's wrong with him?

The Emperor followed her gaze and saw only a tall figure from behind. "Jun Bai, is that your friend?"

Qiao Qiu nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with him. I'll ask him later. I'll take my leave now."

The Emperor watched Qiao Qiu hurry off to chase after someone, then looked at He Qixie who was walking away. There seemed to be something between the two of them.

Qiao Qiu was so focused on chasing He Qixie that she forgot she hadn't brought anyone with her. As soon as she stepped onto the main street, she was surrounded by a huge crowd.

Seeing He Qixie getting further and further away, Qiao Qiu couldn't care less about anything else. She immediately used her lightness skill to spin into the sky, her body bursting with white light. Stepping on people's shoulders, she rushed behind He Qixie like a wisp of smoke, grabbed his shoulder with one hand, lifted him up, and with a push off the ground, flew away again.

Those behind her, seeing her fluid and graceful martial arts, all had stars in their eyes. Young Master Shen was so handsome! They could brag about it to their friends and family for ages after just one visit.

Qiao Qiu led He Qixie out of the city to a secluded grove of trees and released him.

He Qixie stood up straight, unwilling to look at her or turn around, his whole body exuding the message – I'm very angry!

Qiao Qiu used her footwork skills, and the pain in her Achilles tendons was excruciating. Even though she was usually very tolerant of pain, she could hardly bear it. She bit her lips until they almost bled, and when she took off her mask, her temples were already soaked with sweat.