In the darkness of night, a man dressed as a eunuch walked quickly out of Zhou Huaiyan's Qiwu Palace. He quietly squatted in the corner and carefully checked the surroundings to make sure no one had noticed, then he took out a brick.

At this time, he looked around cautiously again, and after confirming that no one saw him, he stuffed a roll of paper into the gap. Finally, he quickly stuffed the brick back and left in a hurry.

Half an hour later, the note was passed from one person to another and finally reached Xuanzheng Hall.

"Manager, there's news from Qiwu Palace."

The chief eunuch quickly took the small piece of paper, then walked quickly into the Xuan Zheng Hall, unfolded it, and dipped it into a special potion. After waiting for a while, words slowly appeared on the blank piece of paper.

However, the eunuch who was handling all of this did not even look at it. He just lowered his head humbly and presented the information on the paper to that person.

Emperor Zhou took it, unfolded it, and read ten lines at a glance.

[At night, the maid Hongdou ordered the foreign slave to bathe and clean himself, and then to serve in his pajamas.]

[At three o'clock in the evening, the Ninth Prince ordered the foreign slave to take off his clothes and draw the bow, and then he carefully admired his body, with a look of infatuation on his face. Then he painted on it with warm oil, fondled it and played with it, which was unbearable to watch.]

[After the fourth watch, the Ninth Prince drove all the palace ladies out of the palace, including the head maids, and they were not allowed to enter unless summoned. The palace servants all heard the sounds of obscenity coming from the palace.]

After reading the contents of the paper, Emperor Zhou's originally solemn expression finally eased a lot. He handed the paper to the chief eunuch beside him,

"Zhang Desheng, what do you think?"

The chief eunuch came respectfully, swept it quickly, and threw it into the charcoal stove to burn it clean.

"I think that His Majesty the Ninth Prince is really obsessed with that foreign slave and it doesn't seem like he is faking it."

"But if it is really fake, this guy is too cunning."

Emperor Zhou narrowed his eyes and tapped the tabletop with his fingertips nonchalantly.

"If that foreign slave is really a beauty who seduce men, it would be fine, but she is a direct descendant of the Yun family and has archery skills that are better than Old Eight's. I... have to be on guard."

"——Your Majesty, your foresight."

The eunuch thought for a moment, then bowed and said,

"But the Yun family's daughter died many years ago, and she died at the hands of her own family. If the Ninth Prince is really a scheming person, he would not fail to see that this is a useless move. Why take one more step and make His Majesty suspicious?"

Emperor Zhou naturally thought of this point, otherwise he would have made up his mind to kill him long ago.

The Zhou people always looked down on foreigners, let alone those servants who could be used to satisfy their sexual desires even with the lowest-level foreigners.

Even if Zhou Huaiyan had countless better ways to keep a low profile, there was no need for him to sacrifice and humiliate himself by sleeping with such a dirty thing.

Thinking of this, Emperor Zhou suddenly felt much happier.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Although Zhou Huaiyan was raised by Duke Wei until he was five years old, how much could a five-year-old child remember? In the following ten years, he had watched the boy grow up.

He was lazy and hated work, greedy for money, lustful, and licentious. Almost all the bad habits that a nobleman might have were concentrated in him.

Moreover, he was carrying a very weak and disabled body due to congenital defects.

If it were someone else, Emperor Zhou would have given up on him long ago and would not have even given him a single glance.

But Zhou Huaiyan is Jiang Min's son, and behind him stands the Duke of Wei and even the 300,000 iron cavalry in the northern border.

Therefore, for more than ten years, Emperor Zhou had to send people to watch him day and night to cut off any possibility of this child ascending the throne.

No matter how talented a person is, it is impossible for him to start pretending from birth.

Emperor Zhou drank a sip of tea and finally put aside his doubts about today's hunting grounds.

"How's it going in the North?"

"We have found out that Qi Shoubang did have contact with the foreign king Qu Pingye. He was responsible for the assassination two months ago."

Emperor Zhou immediately sneered.

"Qi Shoubang...what a great adopted son of the Duke of Wei!"

He thought for a moment and then gave the order.

"Tell Jiang Yi all the relevant information. He wanted to raise a loyal dog for Zhou Huaiyan, but he ended up raising a wolf that would devour its owner!"

"Your Majesty is wise, I will do it right away."

The eunuch bowed respectfully.

The next day.

Zhou Huaiyan played too late last night and slept until the afternoon. He unconsciously touched the pillow, wanting to hug the warm little cat, but when he stretched out his hand, he only touched the hard soup pot.

The boy opened his eyes, frowning.

The next second, a muffled voice came out from under the quilt.

"Red Bean——"

The maid had been waiting outside the bedroom, and she came in quickly after hearing what was said. She knelt outside the bed curtain and asked softly,

"Your Highness is awake. Do you want to get up and wash?"

Zhou Huaiyan hugged the woman with disgust and huddled into the quilt, his voice still tinged with the nasal sound of just waking up.

"Where's Ah Fei?"

"I am currently practicing martial arts with Master Wei."

Hearing this, Zhou Huaiyan suddenly felt a little regretful that he had agreed to let Ah Fei learn martial arts. Otherwise, he could have slept with him longer now.

"Well...how did last night go?"

Hongdou bowed her head respectfully, with indescribable admiration in her tone.

"It is just as Your Highness expected, and just as Your Highness wished."

"Is that so..."

It seems that his father is suspicious because of the matter in the enclosure...

Zhou Huaiyan stretched his waist lazily.

"Hongdou, I'm hungry. I want to eat some wine-brewed dumplings."

"Yes, I will prepare it immediately."

The young man lingered in bed for a long time before finally getting up. The palace servants had long been accustomed to the Ninth Prince's upside-down day and night, and they skillfully prepared hot water for him to wash.

The capital of the Zhou Dynasty was located in the north, and the New Year was approaching. It had been snowing heavily these past few days, and it was extremely cold.

Zhou Huaiyan basically never goes out in winter. He just stays in his bedroom like a hibernating animal.

He walked into the study, intending to look for a few miscellaneous books to kill time, but as soon as he entered the room, he saw the book "Spring Night Secret Play Picture" that had been left on the table last night.

What I watched last night suddenly came to my mind.

"......"

After a moment of silence, Zhou Huaiyan tried to calm down the strange feeling in his heart. He walked over and planned to put the book away.

However, just before he touched the book, the boy stopped. As if he had sensed something was wrong, he observed it carefully and suddenly frowned.

——This booklet has been tampered with.

Although it was deliberately arranged to look the same as when he left last night, some tiny details were not right.

Perhaps because he had been in poor health since childhood, as a compensation, Zhou Huaiyan's memory is far beyond that of ordinary people.

The young man narrowed his eyes and called the maid outside to come in.

"Hongdou, who came into my study last night?"

The maid thought for a moment, then suddenly knelt down in panic.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. I didn't even notice that someone had entered your study."

【Not found...】

Zhou Huaiyan's expression immediately darkened.

Even Hongdou didn't notice it, so he must be an extremely skilled fighter. There are only a few such fighters in the palace.

Fortunately, Zhou Huaiyan did not keep any important things in a place like the study, which was openly inviting people to explore. There were only some miscellaneous books, antiques, and treasures.

Zhou Huaiyan had already known all the spies planted in his palace by various forces over the years. But now he suddenly discovered that there was someone secretly monitoring him, and he didn't know who the person was.

Zhou Huaiyan's good mood suddenly disappeared, and he threw the booklet to the ground.

"Take it and burn it."

After a pause, the boy suddenly changed his mind.

"Forget it, just pick them up and put them on the bookshelf."

It is not easy to find a man's copy of "Secret Plays of the Spring Night" in the palace. Dousha spent a month searching for this copy. Now it is placed on the bookshelf as a decoy, which can be regarded as making the best use of it.

Seeing that His Highness had not punished her, Hongdou finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, before she picked up the book, a familiar voice suddenly came from the door.

"Master, I'm back."

As soon as Ah Fei came in, he saw the familiar book on the ground, and his heart immediately tightened.

——Did the master find out?

Seeing that it was a kitten, Zhou Huaiyan's depressed mood finally improved. However, before he waved to call the person over, he saw Ah Fei staring down at the "Spring Night Secret Play Picture" that had fallen to the ground.

The book that he had just thrown on the ground was now open. The picture on it was particularly clear. Two men... were behaving in an extremely intimate and indecent manner.

"......"

At this moment, the boy felt an inexplicable strange feeling in his heart. Before his brain could come to its senses, the order came out of his mouth.

"Hongdou, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and take it out and throw it away for me!"

Zhou Huaiyan always calls himself "my" in front of people close to him. He only calls himself "Your Highness" in front of outsiders or when he is nervous.

[Is the master nervous? ]

What are you nervous about?

The eldest palace maid was stunned.

【Didn’t you just say to put it on the bookshelf? 】

Zhou Huaiyan always makes decisions after careful consideration, and rarely changes the things he has ordered. Today's master was a little strange.

It was just a book, but it made the master hesitate twice.

However, even though she thought so in her heart, Hongdou immediately carried out His Highness's order.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The maid picked up the book neatly and left quickly. But when she passed Ah Fei, she suddenly felt the latter's eyes linger on her for a moment.

Hongdou turned around as if she had sensed something, but found that Ah Fei was still keeping her eyes down as usual, and was extremely well-behaved.

【Is it a mistake?】

This thought flashed through her mind and Hongdou disappeared out the door.

Seeing that the head palace maid finally took the book away, Zhou Huaiyan felt more at ease for some reason.

Hongdou moved so quickly and Ah Fei was so far away, I guess she couldn't see it clearly.

Zhou Huaiyan was completely unaware that he had begun to deceive himself. The boy sat on the chair and waved to the kitten.

"How is Ah Fei today?"

【It turns out the owner never discovered it. 】

Realizing this, Ah Fei felt relieved and immediately moved obediently to his knees.

“Master taught me very well.”

Zhou Huaiyan touched the kitten's soft curly hair, feeling a hint of moisture on his fingertips.

"Did you come here after taking a bath?"

"yes."

Ah Fei leaned on the boy's knees lovingly. He knew that his master was clean, so after practicing martial arts every day, he would wash himself thoroughly inside and out before getting close to his master.

Ah Fei hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously,

"Why was the master so angry just now?"

"anger?"

Zhou Huaiyan only then realized how fierce his attitude had been. He coughed lightly.

"I'm not angry, I just threw a book."

Ah Fei lowered her head, her eyes showing a hint of loneliness and nervousness.

"Master has never thrown away a book before. Is it because you... hate the contents of the book?"

content?

Zhou Huaiyan was slightly startled, and suddenly felt embarrassed as if he had been seen.

Ah Fei must have seen it at the time, that's why she asked that question. That's right, how could an excellent archer have poor observation skills?

"It's not that I don't like it."

Zhou Huaiyan didn't know why he felt a little embarrassed.

"It's just... I'm just tired of it."

——I subconsciously came up with such a poor excuse.

"Tired?"

But Ah Fei believed it.

No wonder the master had no interest in him. Even after last night's painting game, he just slept soundly as usual, as if nothing had happened.

As for the lewd music in the second half of the night, it was nothing more than the ventriloquism of the young eunuch Dousha.

The so-called good mood of the host last night was probably... just a show.

But, if the owner says he is tired of this, could it be that he likes some fresh styles?

Not knowing what she was thinking of, Ah Fei suddenly raised her head, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Well, would the master like something fresh...?"

【new......】

What's fresh???

Zhou Huaiyan: “…???”

He poked the kitten's head hard until a round red mark was left on Ah Fei's fair forehead.

"What are you thinking about day after day?"

Ah Fei was poked so hard that she fell backwards and had to hug the boy's knees in grievance.

"Master, please don't worry. I was wrong."

“…Tsk.”

Zhou Huaiyan rubbed his eyebrows. He felt vaguely that something was wrong with him, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

It was just a set of erotic pictures. He had seen such books in ancient times before. When the princes were thirteen or fourteen years old, they were assigned to teach the palace maids.

However, he refused at the time on the grounds that he was too weak, but he still left behind a few books that taught the princes how to expand the royal family.

Zhou Huaiyan flipped through it casually at the time, showing little interest. He just didn't know why he was so disturbed when he looked at the same thing again now.

"Master, is there something on your mind?"

Ah Fei obviously sensed the boy's anger. He raised his head carefully.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"It's not because of you."

Zhou Huaiyan waved his hands and lowered his eyes. He was about to say something, but his eyes suddenly swept across Ah Fei's slightly loose collar.

A spot of red plum blossom meandered on the collarbone of the foreign boy, like a spot of cinnabar falling on ice and snow, extremely gorgeous.

"......"

The next second, Zhou Huaiyan reached out and ripped open his collar. As expected, he saw his "masterpiece" from last night.

Large patches of bright red spread across the slightly rising and falling chest.

The boy was stunned.

"Why... didn't you wash it off?"

Ah Fei was extremely nervous, but she did not stop Zhou Huaiyan's actions. She even straightened up without leaving any trace and put the reddest spot on her chest against her master's finger.

"I like your paintings and would like to stay longer."

Zhou Huaiyan was stunned for a few seconds when he felt something soft rubbing against his fingertips. He looked down and finally realized that he had accidentally touched something and abruptly withdrew his hand.

But even so, the fingertips that touched Ah Fei felt like they were burning, from the fingertips to the palm, making his entire hand hot.

"......"

Zhou Huaiyan subconsciously covered his eyes and eyebrows with one hand to prevent Ah Fei from seeing his panic at that moment.

To be honest, they are all men, so it's okay if they touch each other. Besides, Zhou Huaiyan also touched her when he was applying the warm oil last night.

He even remembered that he had traced every detail of the skin with his brush. He also used his brush to trace it in detail because he thought the color there was bright and just right for adding cinnabar to create a red plum blossom.

Can......

But the scene just now kept replaying in his mind. Even the red plum blossoms in the painting seemed to come alive in his mind, blooming in full bloom, extremely gorgeous. Even the bright red stamens would gently brush against his fingers, trembling and standing up, begging for mercy.

"......"

Realizing what was going on in his mind, Zhou Huaiyan subconsciously hid his hand in his sleeve and clenched his fingers until they turned white.

Even so, the burning sensation still lingers on my fingertips.

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