Shen Qing and Guai Guai brought over round stools and looked expectantly at Meng Zhao, waiting for her to make arrangements. When Meng Zhao pointed to the seat next to her, they immediately put down the stools and sat down, just like obedient primary school students.
"Give me your hand," Meng Zhao instructed.
Shen Qinghe's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly offered his hand. Meng Zhao rolled up his folded sleeves, revealing a red and swollen wound on his wrist.
"Why didn't you see a doctor?"
"It's nothing serious, just superficial wounds. They'll be fine in a few days."
Meng Zhao sighed, dampened a handkerchief, and carefully wiped away the blood around the wound. She then took some ointment from the table, picked up a little with her fingertip, and gently applied it to the wound.
The ointment felt cool, but her fingertips felt warm and soft. Looking at her focused profile, Shen Qinghe felt a little pleased. He knew Meng Zhao too well; she was always stubborn but soft-hearted. So he deliberately delayed applying the ointment, and sure enough, even when she was angry, she would still feel more pity for him when she saw the wound.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to." Meng Zhao suddenly spoke, deliberately increasing the pressure on his hand, causing him to hiss and gasp. She glanced up and saw that his lips were slightly pale, but in the end, she softened and her movements returned to gentle.
“Treat any injuries promptly in the future,” she scolded as she applied the medicine. “Your hands are perfectly fine; it would be so unsightly if they were scarred.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe's eyes widened slightly. A scar? Unsightly? No way! He immediately leaned closer to carefully examine his wound. After Meng Zhao finished applying the medicine, he pointed to the areas that hadn't been covered and asked softly, "Should we apply more here?"
Seeing his nervous appearance, Meng Zhao chuckled inwardly, but at the same time felt she should teach him a lesson so he wouldn't use the self-inflicted injury trick on her every time. So she snapped the medicine box shut. "What's there to be nervous about? Didn't you say you didn't care? So what if you're a little ugly?"
Shen Qinghe naturally remembered Meng Zhao staring at his hands before. Now, hearing her say that they were ugly and unattractive, he was extremely worried. So he picked up the medicine box, scooped out a large amount of ointment, and carefully applied another layer. After applying it, he checked it repeatedly, afraid that he might have missed any spots.
Seeing his serious expression, Meng Zhao finally couldn't help but turn her face away, her shoulders twitching suspiciously. She quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve and coughed twice to cover it up. "Ahem... Since you've decided to stay and investigate the case, I have a discovery to tell you."
Shen Qinghe was still immersed in the sadness that Meng Zhao would despise him if he had scars on his body. Hearing her say this, he looked up and listened attentively. Meng Zhao continued, "When I first arrived in Huai'an, I randomly found a place called Fu'an Inn to stay in. Who knew that the soundproofing of that room was extremely poor? As soon as I went up to the second floor, I heard the sound of arguing coming from one of the rooms. I accidentally overheard a few more words."
The two people inside were arguing about where to go next. One said he wanted to take some account books to exchange for more money, while the other said that since they had already received the reward for the murder, they should leave Huai'an as soon as possible. He also mentioned the Grand Canal Governor.
I was startled at the time and quickly told Huang Cui and Chief Escort Zhao, who came with me, to keep a close eye on things. But when I heard you mention the assassination of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, I suddenly remembered those two.
"What do you think? Could those two be the murderers?"
After Meng Zhao finished speaking, he blinked and stared at Shen Qinghe.
Shen Qinghe's previously unfocused gaze gradually sharpened as he stared intently at Meng Zhao, his expression shifting from shock to helplessness. "So... you just happened to come to Huai'an and stay at the Fu'an Inn, and coincidentally, the inn had terrible soundproofing. Coincidentally, you overheard two murderers arguing loudly inside when you went upstairs, and coincidentally, you felt something was amiss, so you had your bodyguard keep an eye on them?"
He kept saying "coincidentally" several times, drawing out each word. Meng Zhao's face gradually became pale. What kind of coincidence could there be? She clearly knew in advance that the murderer would stay at the Fu'an Inn in the next few days, and she went there to stake out the place, going through a lot of trouble to pinpoint which room he was staying in.
But of course she wouldn't admit that she already knew, so she could only purse her lips and force herself to say, "What, I'm lucky, is that not allowed?"
Shen Qinghe chuckled to himself, even though she was treating him like a fool, what could he do? "Okay, of course." He looked up, his eyes filled with doting affection. "I've always known that you've always had excellent luck."
He was leaning against the table, his arm supporting him, and he unconsciously leaned forward a little. His collar, which had been crossed, opened slightly with the movement, revealing a section of his well-defined collarbone. Coupled with the light smile in his eyes and brows, he looked particularly languid and alluring.
Meng Zhao was momentarily stunned, but quickly came to her senses. This guy was taking advantage of his good looks to blatantly seduce her again. She secretly thought that one day she would get her revenge.
So he calmed himself down, deliberately put on a stern face, and stood up, saying, "Now that you know, why don't you hurry up and take over the person to avoid any mishaps?"
Shen Qinghe keenly sensed that Meng Zhao seemed different today. After all, he had said many offensive things yesterday, but today she was neither as angry as he had imagined nor as deliberately distant as usual. Although he was not sure what Meng Zhao was thinking, he really wanted to spend more time with her, even if it was just to talk to her.
However, he also understood the importance and urgency of the matter. If he did not handle this matter properly as soon as possible, not only would he be in danger, but he would also put Meng Zhao in danger. Thinking of this, he stood up neatly, told Meng Zhao to stay in the post station and not go out, and then hurriedly left to arrange other matters.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door, and a servant in blue bowed as he entered. "Madam, these are what Lord Shen ordered to be delivered."
Meng Zhao looked up and saw that the tray contained not only writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, but also some books. It seemed that he knew he was bored sitting there and wanted to find some entertainment, so he asked someone to put the things down.
The books were mostly local chronicles, detailing everything from products and customs to trade routes and water transport. Since Meng Zhao also had business to do in Huai'an, he studied them with great concentration.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
