Chapter 44: Water (2) [VIP]

Qu Hanjin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled faintly: "What a good move! Kill two birds with one stone."

"I can't explain what His Highness the Ninth Prince will say." As if fully aware of the situation, she raised her chin and softly stated the purpose of her visit. "This fire will only fuel the raging conflict."

Feng Yan sneaked into the palace. With her skills, it would not be difficult to take the life of a shadow guard, but she had instructed to find the lone shadow guard beside the Ninth Prince and bring the body of the shadow guard to the vicinity of Shuxue Tower.

The blame was put on him in one go.

The slightly trembling gaze subsided, and Qu Hanjin chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Master, I really underestimated you before."

"After this fire, the women imprisoned in the building will be free and will no longer be forced to sell their bodies and perform arts. The secret deeds done by Shuxue Tower will be revealed to the world..." She looked indifferently at the burnt attic, but the hatred in her eyes did not go out as quickly as the fire.

She looked back and raised her lips with certainty, "The evidence of the Crown Prince's guilt is irrefutable. I'm afraid he will never be able to sit on the throne of the Eastern Palace again."

If the prince was truly connected to Shuxue Tower, he would have immediately distanced himself from it. He frowned in thought for a few moments before calmly asking, "How did you know the owner of this teahouse was the prince?"

"That depends on the Ninth Prince," Chu Qingluo replied calmly, seemingly having already made a plan, unpacking her thoughts. "Whoever this owner is, if the Ninth Prince can uncover the clues, the Crown Prince will be dead in a night."

"So next... we need to go to Lingning Palace to visit the Ninth Prince."

She frowned and smiled, then looked at the jade-like young man and asked him quietly whether he agreed.

Qu Hanjin listened carefully, his expression as calm as a cold pond. When he raised his eyes, a glimmer of light seemed to flicker across his face. "If anyone knew your identity, do you know what would happen to you?"

She seemed to have never cared about her own safety...

She has come to this day with a heart full of resentment, and she has always disregarded life and death. Her whole heart is filled with Long State, leaving no place for herself.

"Then sir...will you protect me?"

Hearing his voice as clear as a cold spring, Chu Qingluo suddenly asked the man in front of her, her face shy, and asked tentatively in a low voice: "I am filled with hatred, the hatred of genocide is irreconcilable, I can't be as elegant and flawless as you, sir, and leisurely and contented..."

The gentleman did not answer, but suddenly hugged her in his arms.

The breath of the snow-capped mountains surrounded her, like a melodious night breeze, slightly cold, but clear and bright.

Another pedestrian passed by in the narrow alley. She did not struggle to break free, but whispered in his ear: "People passing by may look at you, sir..."

"Qingluo, I will protect you."

She listened quietly to the clear sound echoing in her ears, fluttering in a corner of her heart, and then disappearing in a flash.

"Really..." Chu Qingluo raised her jade fingers and touched the gentleman's waist. She was in a trance for a moment, and smiled softly as she embraced his thin waist, as if she felt somewhat comfortable doing so.

He then hugged her tightly and repeated in a deep voice, "Yes, I will protect you."

"If I say that, apart from the plan to restore my country, I also seek the master..." After pondering for a long time, she murmured, and said with interest, "Am I a little greedy..."

When the dust settled and everything was over, if she could really have Mr. Qu, she seemed to have some expectations for the future.

She couldn't help but wonder if she would be willing to live a free and easy life with her husband if her hatred could be released.

After thinking about it, she seemed willing.

Learning to plant trees and grow flowers, play the piano and make cakes with her teacher was what she had always dreamed of.

There seemed to be strange emotions surging beneath the fierceness. Chu Qingluo looked up at the bright moon in the sky, smiled coldly, and asked the gentleman with a bit of gentleness.

"Sir, please help me to bloodbath the Imperial City, okay..."

The young man remained silent, holding her tightly. After a long moment, he finally whispered, "If this is successful, I will just take care of you."

"Sir, you are willing to be used by me, hiding everything from me at all costs..." She knew what this man wanted, but she couldn't give it to him, nor did she know how to give it to him. She curled her lips and said regretfully, "But I can't grant you what you asked for now. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Qu Hanjin also understood what she meant and responded accordingly.

"No problem, I can wait."

To help her avenge this, she could give everything, but she couldn't give her heart. When the great revenge was truly avenged, perhaps she would have the mind to think about the rest of her life.

Only at that moment could she calm down and think carefully about her feelings for her husband.

Only then can you... truly choose one person to spend the rest of your life with.

Everything in the Siyue Mansion was silent, with only the dim light of the palace lanterns on the corridors. Everyone in the mansion had gone to bed, and no one in the pavilions or boudoirs knew what was happening. At the gate of the mansion, two people were walking back quietly.

When she reached the steps, Chu Qingluo suddenly stopped and signaled the man beside her that there was no need to follow her. If they were caught, she would no longer be able to cover up her lie.

She didn't really care if the other noble ladies saw it, but she was afraid that Meng Yatou would be saddened. "Send it here, don't send it any further. People's words are scary, so don't get gossiped about."

Although the girl said she didn't mind, she would still be sad for a few days after she knew a thing or two. After all, the gentleman was the lover whom the girl had admired for many years.

She was not afraid of what others might say, she just wanted to let the relationship break down without a trace.

, I watched him go. "

Qu Hanjin did not move forward any further, but just waved his sleeves elegantly and stood still at the foot of the stairs.

Following his instructions, she leisurely returned to her elegant room, looked down from the window, and saw that he had not left.

His eyes were cold,

"Go back quickly."

After saying a few words to Mr. Xiang silently, Chu Qingluo frowned and smiled gently, no longer looking at him. She closed the window and drew the curtain, wanting to sleep in the twilight.

If Shuxue Tower in the city is destroyed tonight, news of this will reach the ears of Emperor Daning tomorrow morning. The shameful actions in the teahouse will arouse public outrage, and Emperor Xuanlong must investigate thoroughly.

At this point, if the Ninth Prince could add fuel to the fire, the Crown Prince would surely be defeated.

Layers of clouds covered the bright moon, making the night even darker. The palace lanterns hanging in the corridors of the mansion seemed bright, adding to the loneliness.

Qu Hanjin stared at the windowsill for a moment. Even though the curtains had been drawn, he did not move for a long time and stood there silently for a long time.

As he turned to retreat, he suddenly stopped and looked at a young man in purple robe standing a few steps behind him, who seemed to have been watching here for a long time.

His gaze fell lightly on the long, closed window. Sheng Youzhang bowed respectfully. After a moment's silence, he asked meaningfully, "It's late at night. What are you looking at here, sir?"

Qu Hanjin looked at the man calmly, his words tinged with coldness: "Master Sheng, why are you coming to the mansion in the middle of the night instead of going back to your bedroom to rest?"

"Miss Chu was not at the night study session. I asked her close friends and learned that she was nowhere to be found in her boudoir." Sheng Youzhang calmly recounted what happened today, looking at the mansion gate and then back at his teacher.

"I was worried, so I waited here, but I didn't expect her to return from outside the mansion with my teacher."

Hearing the hostility in the words, he calmly replied with a distant expression, "I am out on official business, so why not let the student accompany me?"

"Mr. Sheng, you are so concerned about me. Whether you have any improper thoughts, I will not pursue it. But if you violate the rules of the mansion, I will punish you severely." Qu Hanjin replied in a stern voice, as if asking Sheng Youzhang to weigh his status and remind him of the so-called etiquette of respect and inferiority.

"No matter who enters the mansion, I will be impartial as a teacher."

Government regulations...

As soon as he thought of the newly added government regulations, Sheng Youzhang felt a knot in his heart that was hard to dispel. After careful consideration, he asked solemnly, "Sir, may I ask, will the newly added government regulations have any effect on you?"

"Of course." The reply was clear and unambiguous, and every word revealed the gentleman's demeanor.

Upon hearing this, Sheng Youzhang hurriedly asked, his voice even more solemn: "If you break the rules, what punishment will you receive?"

The woman in front of him replied coldly, leaving Master Sheng speechless: "You know the rules but break them, you violate the law and order, you are not worthy of being my teacher."

Mr. Qu had said this, confirming his own conviction that he wasn't harboring any unwarranted feelings, and that the added rules and regulations were unimpeachable. He clearly harbored inappropriate feelings for Miss Chu, yet he spoke frankly, deftly shutting down the others' comments.

"The teacher is noble and elegant, with no desires or demands, and his students admire him."

Speechless for a moment, Sheng Youzhang remained silent for a moment, then looked at the elegant question in the corner, bowed hastily and left: "I will not disturb the gentleman's leisure, and I will take my leave."

Seeing him walking away, Qu Hanjin also slowly walked back to the courtyard, stepping on a few rays of quiet moonlight, his figure disappeared in the long night shrouded in dusk.

The candlelight in the bedroom on the upper floor flickered slightly, and a bright figure was sitting idly in the candlelight.

Leaning against the wall was another mysterious figure with treacherous behavior and a fearless and frivolous air.

Chu Qingluo frowned in worry. She had not expected Feng Yan to be so presumptuous and dared to enter her boudoir without her permission.

"Who gave you permission to come into my boudoir?" Her eyes darkened involuntarily. She glanced at the man in black clothes and beckoned him to come closer. "You're so bold! Haven't you learned enough from the lesson you learned a few days ago?"

The body leaning against the wall slowly straightened up. Feng Yan smiled and walked to her side, asking for a reward: "Is the princess satisfied with what I have done?"

What he was talking about was dragging the Ninth Prince's shadow guard to the vicinity of the teahouse. This sounded easy, but only he could do it.

After all, the shadow guards around the prince are all agile and sharp, and their skills are extremely high. Only someone like him who appears and disappears like a ghost can avoid being exposed.

Chu Qingluo smiled back, slowly stood up, and gently lifted Feng Yan's chin with her slender fingers. She said playfully, "As long as you keep your little thoughts to yourself, I will be satisfied."

"The Ninth Prince's shadow guards are really good-looking but useless. They died in my hands after just a few moves." When he said this, Feng Yan was very proud, belittling Ning Zhu to nothing, showing off his own power. "Ning Zhu was seriously injured by those shadow guards a few days ago. She is completely useless. The princess can no longer keep her..."

"I don't need you to tell me what to do."

She released her fingertips and tried to let go of them, but the man in front of her firmly held them and she couldn't get rid of them no matter how hard she tried.