Outside the mountain temple, Hong Zhong crashed.

A huge, distant roar echoed through the mountains.

It also covered up all the sounds inside the meditation room.

Her sobbing.

His low growl.

Yan Zhuoxu indulged himself, swimming deeper into the dark river of love and desire in the thick night.

Looking at Shen Zhiyi beneath him, her face flushed, overwhelmed by both tears and pleasure, he felt an uncontrollable surge of tenderness in his heart.

He was already convinced.

He longed for her more than he longed for freedom and liberation.

He held her hand and wrapped it around his neck, wishing that she would always be as intimately entwined with him as she was now.

Keep him occupied...

His understanding, his wife...

Yan Zhuoxu lowered his body and kissed her, his body covered in sweat.

He wanted to be completely and utterly attached to her, body and soul.

Never, never to be apart...

The Buddha said that by breaking free from attachment to self, one can eliminate afflictions and attain liberation.

But he was willing to feed his obsession.

He only wanted her to be by his side.

forever and ever.

Yan Zhuoxu closed his eyes, lost in the kiss.

He was captivated by her complete trust and devotion.

Bright moon, heat wave, mountain breeze.

The heavens and earth roared.

Together with them, we forged this moment of depravity and collapse.

In the most sacred place, they created memories that were uniquely theirs, thick and dark, yet incredibly sweet and precious.

Irreplaceable memories...

...

Shen Zhiyi fell into a deep sleep.

Yan Zhuoxu took the blood-stained handkerchief from beneath her, carefully put it away, and placed it in the box.

He lowered his head, brushed away the damp hair at her temples, and gently kissed her forehead.

He wasn't done yet.

But she was already exhausted.

She had trembled and wept in fear for so long, and then endured his profound and barbaric demands.

She deserves a good rest.

In the moonlight, Yan Zhuoxu silently traced her face with his gaze for a long time.

The overwhelming tenderness and love rising within me transcended all desires and addictions at this moment.

He wiped her body clean and tucked her in with a soft blanket.

I soaked in the bathtub for half an hour before I could calm down that burning desire.

He changed his clothes and went out, instructing two guards to watch over her before going to his meditation room to hear Shuofeng report what he had found.

The two men in black inside the courtyard have been taken away.

The bloodstains have been cleaned up.

Even the broken door frame and wooden chair were restored to their original state.

At this moment, the sky was still shrouded in darkness.

"Your Highness, Ye Jinghong was acting suspiciously. We stopped him before he left the temple, and he has now been detained."

"On the floor of the courtyard where he and Shen Qingyuan were, we also found some suspicious damp soil and dead insects. After searching around, we finally found the food scraps that had been dumped."

Shuofeng's expression was grave as he added, "I have examined it carefully, and it is poisonous."

Food scraps?

Yan Zhuoxu narrowed his eyes.

I immediately pictured Ye Jinghong carrying a plate of food.

His tone grew increasingly cold, "Have you asked the novices in the temple?"

The north wind nodded.

"The young novice monk said that the only food served outside the inner dining hall, besides the ones you specifically ordered to be prepared that evening, was the same dish that was originally served to the second young lady."

"Besides the young novice monk, only Ye Jinghong has touched this plate."

"But strangely enough, the person who came to remind them to bring the food was Lianxing, Shen Qingyuan's maid."

Yan Zhuoxu already had a plan in mind.

"Has it been tested to see what kind of poison it is?"

Shuofeng pulled out a blueprint and handed it to Yan Zhuoxu.

"This poison is extremely potent, killing instantly. Like those men in black, it comes from the same assassin organization."

“They pay for services without asking about the employer’s identity.”

Yan Zhuoxu looked at the totem on the paper and sneered.

"Ye Jinghong was attracted to her, but his motives were insufficient."

"But he insists on coming down the mountain tonight, he must know something beforehand. Let him suffer a bit and make him spill everything he knows."

"Yes!" Shuofeng bowed.

Yan Zhuoxu added, "The biggest suspect in this matter is Shen Qingyuan."

He tapped the table with his knuckles. "Go check if that dried blood essence also comes from the same organization."

"Strictly investigate Lianxing."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, "And Madam Shen's trusted confidants."

Their move tonight must have been pre-arranged by prior contact.

If the dried blood and tonight's poison both originated from the same organization.

That was probably a carefully planned scheme by Madam Shen.

However, they miscalculated that they knew martial arts.

Shuofeng pondered, "Madam Shen is, after all, the mistress of the Prime Minister's residence. Without concrete evidence, what grounds can we use to arrest her from the residence?"

Yan Zhuoxu pursed his lips, raised his eyes, and said with a stern expression, "Assassinating the Crown Prince and plotting against the future Crown Princess, is that enough to investigate an official's wife?"

Shuofeng's eyes widened.

"Your Highness, you...you're going back to the palace?!"

Yan Zhuoxu waved his hand, "Take my Crown Prince's seal with you. If the Prime Minister dares to obstruct you, arrest him as well."

His daughter has been tormented right under his nose for so many years. If he were kept in the dark, he would be a complete waste.

If he knew what was going on, then he hadn't fulfilled any of his responsibilities as a father.

Either way, they deserve to suffer a bit.

Shuofeng was overjoyed. "Yes! I will return to the Eastern Palace immediately to retrieve the seal!"

If His Majesty knew that His Highness was willing to return to the palace, let alone a prime minister, he would probably be willing to spend two days in prison himself.

The Prime Minister naturally knew His Majesty's thoughts.

They certainly wouldn't dare to stop them.

"Wait a minute," Yan Zhuoxu called out to him.

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