Chapter 155 You still owe me twice, why don't you pay it back together?
Bai Xiuming placed Achan on the bed, covered her with a cup, and sat quietly at the head of the bed, gazing at her beautiful little face.
Perhaps because the bedding beneath her was cool, Ah Chan, in her sleep, subconsciously moved closer to the source of warmth beside her, not only rubbing against it but also trying to pull the warmth into her arms.
Not content with her clinging to him, her restless little hand even reached for his leg. Bai Xiuming grabbed her hand and tucked it back under the covers.
A little while later, that little hand sneaked out again.
He had no choice but to hold Achan's hand, and only then did she calm down.
Ah Chan slept soundly. When she woke up, she couldn't remember where she was. All she knew was that everything was dark and her hand was being held loosely.
As soon as she withdrew her hand, Bai Xiuming, who had been sitting on the headboard with his eyes closed, opened them.
"Awake?" His voice was languid in the darkness.
"When did you get back? Why didn't you wake me up?" Achan got up sleepily, feeling listless and weak.
Bai Xiuming reached out and put his arm around her waist, but before he could pull, she had already fallen into his arms.
Achan turned to the side, adjusted to a comfortable position, rested her head on his shoulder, and yawned again.
"You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you." Bai Xiuming put one hand on her slender waist, pulling her close to his chest, and gently rubbed his other hand against her cheek. "Why did you suddenly come to see me today?"
“I originally wanted to have dinner with you.” Achan looked up and saw his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he spoke. She found it amusing and touched it.
Bai Xiuming's breathing suddenly became heavy, but A Chan did not notice.
He lowered his eyes and asked softly, "Did you only come to me for a meal?"
His Ah Chan would never wrong himself for anyone.
Reminded by him, Achan remembered the important matter and stopped what she was doing: "I also wanted to ask, have you found any clues about that incense burner?"
This question surprised Bai Xiuming. His eyes flickered slightly as he replied, "Not yet, why?"
"Then... could you please return the incense burner to me first?"
Bai Xiuming raised an eyebrow: "According to regulations, the incense burner is involved in a serious case. The evidence cannot be returned until the case is solved."
"But?" Achan waited expectantly for a turn of events.
"No buts."
Dejected, Achan pouted and said, "I provided the clues and the physical evidence for the case, but you haven't found anything. We can't just keep dragging this on indefinitely."
"That makes sense."
"Right?"
"But we, the Mingjing Division, never reason."
"Can't you really make an exception?" Achan beckoned with her finger and scratched his neck, like a feather gently brushing against his skin.
Bai Xiuming smiled without saying a word, his large hand resting on A Chan's waist gently sliding, as if hinting at something.
Achan was furious, thinking that this man was getting more and more demanding. You can't give him a little taste of sweetness, otherwise he'll definitely go even further next time.
Then, she placed her hands on his shoulders, straddled him, and flipped herself onto Bai Xiuming.
Her skirt spread out like flower petals, covering their legs that were intertwined.
Bai Xiuming maintained his original posture, looking as if he were ready to be picked at will.
Achan leaned forward, her soft body pressed against his chest. She could clearly feel the scorching heat hidden beneath his robes and the powerful strength concealed within the muscular body beneath her.
Her hand slowly moved upwards, the loose sleeves of her dress slipping down to her elbows, revealing a section of her snow-white, slender arm. A-Chan wrapped her arms around his neck, but Bai Xiuming remained staring at her, motionless.
Ah Chan brought her lips close to his, but stopped before they touched. Then, she parted her red lips slightly, extended her pink tongue, and licked his lips.
She felt Bai Xiuming's body suddenly tense up, which did not make A Chan back down, but instead excited her.
She mimicked what he had done last time, capturing his lips in her mouth and slowly caressing them. When he finally couldn't resist opening his mouth to respond, Ah Chan slipped her tongue into his mouth...
Every reaction Bai Xiuming had to her made A Chan increasingly infatuated with him.
The two were entangled for an unknown amount of time before Achan turned her head away, avoiding his persistent kisses and tongue.
"Does Lord Bai like this bribe?" Ah Chan's cheek brushed against his cheek as she leaned close to his ear and whispered.
"I love it!"
"What about my incense burner?"
"I'll have someone bring it over in a bit."
Without being taught, Achan leaned in and gently bit his earlobe: "Lord Bai is so kind."
Bai Xiuming's arms around her waist suddenly tightened, his voice hoarse: "...I've changed my mind."
"What?"
Before Achan could react, she heard him say, "Once isn't enough."
"Bai Xiuming, you're breaking your promise!" Achan's eyes widened; someone actually dared to raise the price in front of her.
Unfortunately, her voice was now soft and delicate, lacking any power and unable to express her anger.
“I’m a man of my word.” Bai Xiuming pecked a kiss on her neck. “You’ve forgotten, you still owe me two things on the Lantern Festival. Let’s pay them back together.”
"I don't……"
Before Achan could refuse, she was already pushed back onto the bed.
In the dimly lit room, only the sounds of entangled breathing and the ambiguous sounds of lips and tongues intertwining could be heard.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but Achan's consciousness gradually became hazy. Finally, after Bai Xiuming withdrew, she gasped for breath and regained some of her senses.
When he leaned in again, Achan quickly raised her hand to cover his lips.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Unlike usual, his voice was low, husky, and alluring, and Ah Chan was almost bewitched again.
Fortunately, she regained her senses in time and said firmly, "I'm so hungry."
Are you hungry?
"Yeah, I'm starving."
This wasn't really an excuse; she was genuinely hungry.
She only ate a few bites of lunch, and now it's already evening, and she hasn't even had a sip of water.
Bai Xiuming stared at her for a long time before finally taking pity on her and letting her go.
He turned over and sat on the edge of the bed, calmed himself down a bit, and then turned to look at Achan, who was tidying her clothes, and asked her, "Where do you want to eat? At the yamen or out with me?"
The reason he didn't mention taking her back to his residence for dinner was because he knew that Achan wouldn't agree.
Achan felt her legs were too weak to walk, so she asked, "Is there a canteen in the yamen?"
"have."
"Is the chef's cooking good?"
Bai Xiuming smiled and said, "Not bad."
He said it was good, so it shouldn't be too bad. After only a slight hesitation, Achan said, "Then let's eat here."
"Okay, I'll have them do it right away."
Bai Xiuming stood up, straightened his disheveled official robes, and walked out.
Achan was left alone in the room. Her feverish body gradually calmed down with her heartbeat, but she could still feel the hot breath blowing on her neck and shoulders.
She'll probably never forget that warm, moist touch in a short time.
Bai Xiuming closed the door and walked out of the room.
He stood at the door for a while before instructing a Mingjing Guard who was passing by not far away: "Have Feng Yang come over here."
"Yes." The guard from the Mingjing Division hurriedly ran away.
Before long, Feng Yang rushed over.
Despite the dim light, he could still clearly see his father's lower lip, which appeared to be bruised, and the faint redness at the corners of his eyes.
Feng Yang glanced subconsciously at the dark house behind Bai Xiuming, then silently lowered his head, not daring to look any longer.
"My lord, what are your orders?"
"Have the cook prepare a few dishes and send them over in a bit. Use chicken for the meat dishes." Bai Xiuming's voice was unreadable, but Feng Yang could tell that his master was in a very good mood.
"yes."
"Also... send over the Yushan Furnace. This case will be put on hold for now."
Feng Yang was slightly taken aback: "But we've already traced it back to the Zhao family, are we just going to stop here?"
Contrary to what Bai Xiuming told A Chan, the Mingjing Division had already followed the clues A Chan had provided and found the person who sold the incense burners, which naturally led them to Zhao Zeqian. However, they had not yet alerted the Zhao family.
"A single incense burner cannot shake the Zhao family."
Feng Yang understood this principle as well. Zhao Qi was still alive, and this incense burner alone could not serve as evidence. Even if it were presented, the Zhao family could find various reasons to deny it.
The case is from a long time ago, and the Shang family can hardly find any trace of it. The only starting point is the Zhao family.
The Mingjing Division cannot use this as a basis to search the home of the former emperor's tutor. Even if his family members petitioned for permission, His Majesty would not agree unless there was irrefutable evidence or the Zhao family members slipped up.
"Sir, you wouldn't be thinking of returning the Yushan Furnace to Miss Ji, would you?" Feng Yang suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked.
"Um."
The decision of one's own master is naturally beyond question, but Feng Yang still reminded him: "My lord, the Shang family and the Zhao family, who were wiped out, were once related by marriage. If, as we suspect, it was indeed the Zhao family who did it, they will definitely investigate thoroughly if they find that the incense burner is missing, and they will probably find out about Miss Ji very soon."
If they can't find the incense burner, the other party might continue their investigation. But if they find the incense burner in Miss Ji's hands, given the number of lives at stake, the Zhao family might be willing to kill to cover up the secret.
However, Feng Yang did not say these things aloud, but it is likely that his family members were well aware of them.
Bai Xiuming seemed to have thought of something, raised his hand to touch the wound on his lower lip, and suddenly chuckled: "It's alright, go and get it."
Achan went to great lengths to get the incense burner back.
In such a short time, she suddenly changed her mind. The only variable was the recent arrival of the Dowager Princess of the Northern Wilderness in the capital.
He was really curious about what she wanted the incense burner for.
"I'll go right away." Seeing that his master was aware of the situation, Feng Yang didn't say much. He first sent his subordinate to the kitchen to instruct the cook to prepare the dishes, while he went to fetch the Yushan furnace, which was to be used as evidence.
Achan waited in the room for a short while before the door opened and Bai Xiuming walked in. He snapped his fingers, and the candles on the table instantly lit up.
When Achan saw him walk in carrying a brocade box, she immediately went to greet him and stared longingly at the box.
Bai Xiuming placed the brocade box in her hands: "Your Yushan Incense Burner."
Achan opened the box and took out the incense burner, which was undoubtedly a gift from Boss Lü.
She put the box away, thinking that Bai Xiuming would at least ask her what she wanted the incense burner for, but to her surprise, he didn't ask anything at all, which saved her a lot of trouble.
Although Bai Xiuming will surely find out that she is involved when the incident occurs, by then everything should have been settled.
Next, it's up to Shang Yin.
When Shang Yin returned to the Zhao family, it was still early.
These past two days, he didn't have to serve the Empress Dowager, and no one paid attention to his whereabouts. He stayed in the room until evening when someone suddenly came to knock on the door.
Shang Yin opened the door and found that the person who came in was a maidservant who served the Empress Dowager.
The maidservant, her face tense, stood at the door and said to Shang Yin, "The Empress Dowager wants you to come over."
"Hmm." Following Zhao Yin's usual habit, Shang Yin simply responded with a sound of agreement and stepped out of the room.
The maid did not take him to the Empress Dowager's residence; instead, they went to Zhao Qi's courtyard.
It was dusk at this time, and many lanterns were hung in Zhao Qi's courtyard, illuminating the courtyard brightly.
The main hall was as bright as day, and a moonlight lamp inlaid with dozens of luminous pearls had been brought in and placed in the hall at some point.
As soon as Shang Yin stepped into the room, he saw the lamp.
In the Northern Wilderness, he had very few opportunities to spend time with his mother, but he had a long memory, so he remembered every word she said.
That time, she was tortured and her fingernails were pulled out. They sent him to the dungeon, and he had a brief chance to stay with his mother.
He still remembered his mother huddled in the dark corner of the prison cell, telling him in a light voice that when she came of age, her maternal grandparents spent a lot of money to have a craftsman make a moonlight lamp. Every night, the moonlight lamp could illuminate the room as if it were daytime, and it was especially beautiful.
Shang Yin couldn't imagine what the Moonlight Lamp looked like back then, but now he has seen it with his own eyes, and it is indeed very beautiful.
Shang Yin merely glanced at the Moonlight Lamp, his expression unwavering. After entering the room, he went straight to the Empress Dowager and knelt down.
"Your subordinate is late, please punish me, Your Highness."
The Dowager Consort was resting with one hand on her forehead and her eyes closed when she heard Shang Yin's voice. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, saying in a calm tone, "Get up."
Then, her gaze fell on Zhao Xun and his son Zhao Zeqian, who were kneeling in the middle of the main hall.
Just as Shang Yin had guessed, after punishing Zhao Yin, the Dowager Consort indeed investigated Zhao Zeqian and discovered the problem.
Shang Yin stood behind the Empress Dowager and looked at the father and son.
"Zeqian, tell your great-aunt, where did that incense burner go?"
When the Dowager Consort spoke, Zhao Zeqian trembled. He stammered for a long time but could not reveal the whereabouts of the incense burner.
Seeing his expression, the Dowager Princess smiled and her voice became even gentler: "We're all family. What can't you tell your great-aunt? Did your father not give you any money, so you had no choice but to steal the incense burner?"
Shang Yin knew that the gentler the Dowager Consort was, the angrier she was.
But Zhao Zeqian was clearly unaware of this; he was misled by the Dowager Consort's amiable attitude. He nodded, his tone still somewhat aggrieved: "Grandmother is very perceptive. I did exchange that incense burner for silver because I was short of money."
"Who was that incense burner sold to?"
“I had Zhang Cong take it to an antique shop outside and sell it. You’ll have to ask him who it was sold to.”
The Zhang Cong he mentioned was his wet nurse's son, who had always been by his side serving him.
"In that case, let's go ask Zhang Cong first," the Dowager said to Zhao Qi.
Zhao Qi nodded and instructed the steward, "Bring the person here after you've finished questioning them."
The butler obeyed and left. Not long after, a blood-soaked person was dragged in. When he entered, his legs dragged on the ground, leaving two bloody trails.
Zhao Zeqian only glanced at it before screaming in terror. He recognized the mangled figure as Zhang Cong.
The butler respectfully said, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, Zhang Cong has already explained that the incense burner was sold to an antique shop in Changpingfang. I heard that the owner's surname is Lü."
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