Shen Qingchen was startled and quickly pushed his hand away, taking half a step back. "Your Highness... it wouldn't be good if others saw this."
The crown prince, clad in a four-clawed yellow dragon robe, paused slightly, still catching a lingering fragrance from her body, and feeling the exceptionally slender and soft touch of her waist beneath his hands. He was momentarily surprised, never expecting that this exceptionally intelligent and refined person before him was a woman.
He took a deep breath and looked directly at her. "I know."
"So much happened in court today, and I failed to inform Your Highness beforehand. It was my fault." She helped him to a chair and said, "Your Highness, please sit down and rest for a while."
Zhu Yulu looked up at his teacher, who was nearly ten years older than him, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
This feeling is complex; it contains trust, dependence, respect, admiration, reluctance to part... and even a little bit of liking.
His teachers were mostly quite old, having spent over a decade in the Hanlin Academy. They were respectful and rigorous, always sternly making him learn this and that, memorize this and that. Although he didn't dislike these people, he couldn't say he had any affection for them either.
But Master Shen, standing before him, was completely different from them. He had never imagined that one day he would fall in love with his teacher.
With her by his side, he felt at peace and comfortable. But if she left, it was as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, leaving an emptiness. Joy and tranquility would quickly escape through this gaping hole.
The last time he competed in a horse race against the Chagatai Khanate, it was she who won him glory and praise. Today, in the court, if it weren't for her, he doesn't know if he would still be standing in this Cining Palace at this moment.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhu Yulu looked at Qingchen and called out, "Master Chen..."
Qingchen smiled at him and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Zhu Yulu shook his head. He simply had one wish.
If one day he ascends the throne, he will surely make her a first-rank official, the highest-ranking minister, and have her worshipped by millions!
...
Zhao Qiran hurriedly returned to the Ministry of Rites, and when he saw Song Yue, he was still out of breath, saying, "I'm a step too late."
Song Yue was dealing with an urgent official matter when he put down his pen and looked at him, "Where is Lu Shenyun?"
"I went to the cabinet office and was summoned by Xu Yan," Zhao Qiran said. "I was worried it was related to your guess, which is why I rushed back to tell you. What do we do next?"
Song Yue thought for a moment, then stood up. "I'll go to the Cabinet office... Never mind, it's too late. I'll go to the Garrison Command myself. Is Huang Yu there?"
"Yes. What about me? Should I go tell Qingchen?"
Song Yue shook his head. "She should be in the East Palace right now, probably still having some things to say to the Crown Prince. Come with me to the Zhenfu Division, let's take a look first."
She didn't know what Xu Yan was planning, and telling him would only make her worry unnecessarily. She was already exhausted these past few days, and had just weathered the storm in the court, only to catch her breath later. She should let him handle these matters.
Without delay, the two arrived at the Zhenfu Division office.
When Huang Yu saw that Zhao Qiran had come again, and this time even the Vice Minister Song Yue had come along, he was puzzled and thought that the sun had risen in the west, and that their small temple had attracted so many big shots.
Huang Yu led the two into the yamen and was about to order someone to serve tea when Song Yue stopped him, saying, "Lord Huang, there's no need to be so polite. We've come here today because we have something to ask of you."
Although the Crown Prince's charge of forcing the emperor to abdicate was not substantiated in court today, Zhu Rui was happy to follow Qing Chen's advice and attribute everything to fate. However, the court session ended hastily, and the Emperor had not yet issued an edict regarding the fate of the Gu family. Therefore, Gu Ru and the Gu family's steward remained imprisoned in the imperial prison.
Xu Yan's conspiracy began with framing the Gu family, and whatever schemes he plans to use later, he will likely still be involved with the Gu family.
“I beg you, Lord Huang,” Song Yue said bluntly, “please keep a close eye on Gu Ruhe and that steward. Only have two people whom you trust keep an eye on them, and don’t let anyone else get close to them.”
"Does the Grand Secretary mean... that we should protect their safety and prevent outsiders from communicating with them?"
Song Yue nodded. "The affairs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are not under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet. I hope Lord Huang will forgive my request. If Lord Lu returns later, please also convey this message to him."
He originally intended to speak directly with Lu Shenyun about this. Lu Shenyun was a sensible man; having served as the emperor's personal guard for so many years, although he appeared cold, harsh, and unapproachable, he had always been clear-cut and upright when dealing with the Xu faction. Besides, he also had feelings for Qingchen.
For both public and private reasons, he would certainly not allow Xu Yan's treacherous scheme to succeed.
Unfortunately, they arrived a little too late; Lu Shenyun had been called away by Xu Yan. Whether Xu Yan did it intentionally or unintentionally, he couldn't wait for Lu Shenyun any longer and had no choice but to come find Huang Yu. He could only hope that nothing had happened before they arrived.
"You're too kind, Your Excellency," Huang Yu said. "It's nothing, and besides, it's the duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I'll tell Lord Lu when he returns."
"Thank you." Song Yue nodded.
Although he had already explained everything, he was still somewhat uneasy, so he asked Huang Yu to send someone to check on them in the imperial prison. After a while, the person who had checked returned and reported that the two men from the Gu family were both safe and sound in the prison, and there was nothing unusual about them.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency," Huang Yu said with a slight smile. "Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard is not as important as the Grand Secretariat, no one dares to act recklessly."
Song Yue thanked him, said nothing more, then took his leave and left the Zhenfusi Yamen with Zhao Qiran.
Meanwhile, Xu Silin was sitting in the Ministry of Works' observation cell.
This cell originally belonged to Shen Qingchen, Gu Shaoheng, and him. Now that Shen Qingchen has been promoted and Gu Shaoheng is confined to the Gu residence because of the celestial omen, he is the only one left in the room.
When the two of them were both there, the room was quite lively. Gu Shaoheng would deliberately get close to Qingchen, ignoring or provoking him. At that time, he was somewhat unhappy and also a little envious of Gu Shaoheng's ability to get along with Qingchen so naturally.
Now, the desks of his two classmates are empty, and their voices and smiles have faded somewhat. Only he himself seems to remain unchanged.
Light streamed in through the window, falling on their table, while tiny dust particles floated in the air.
Shaking his head, Xu Silin stopped thinking about it and focused on handling the affairs of state. The books on the table were ones he'd asked Lin Mo to buy at the market; they were related to water conservancy projects. He hadn't originally found these books interesting, but Qingchen liked reading them. For her sake, and for his own, he needed to strive harder.
He picked up a few books and looked at them, only to find that there was one book among them that was somewhat different from the others.
He casually flipped through the book and saw a picture of a woman riding on a man, the man's hand touching the woman's breasts, both of them naked... He immediately closed the book and cursed under his breath, "Bastard."
That brat Lin Mo actually smuggled him a book of erotic pictures.
After a moment of calm, he frowned, opened the book again, and casually flipped through a few pages, his gaze sweeping over them indifferently. Every page of this picture book was exquisitely detailed, with intricate and luxurious backgrounds, lifelike and vivid figures, and each page even depicted a different pose…
He took a breath, grabbed the book, got up and went to the copper basin with charcoal fire, tore the pages out one by one, and threw them into the fire.
Things I saw when I was a teenager, a few years later, don't seem so new anymore.
The charcoal fire burned very brightly, and the paper was quickly ignited, turning into ash little by little.
Gazing at the firelight before him, Xu Silin couldn't help but picture Qingchen in his mind. The images overlapped, the two figures in the erotic painting transforming into him and Qingchen, kissing and entwined on the bed, his beloved's eyes glazed, her body limp, panting beneath his strong frame… This reverie caused him to suddenly feel a tightness between his legs, and Xu Silin abruptly shook his head.
He loved her so much that he wanted to possess her and make love to her...
That evening, Xu Silin went to Xiefanglou as arranged and had drinks with Lin Mo, Luo Yuanhao, and others.
Today is Lin Mo's birthday. Lin Mo specially chose the most secluded and luxurious private room in this building and also summoned a troupe of musicians to play music for them.
Xu Silin originally didn't want to come. Ever since he fell in love with Qingchen, he had stopped coming to places with such a strong feminine atmosphere. However, he couldn't resist Lin Mo's repeated invitations. He didn't like hearing Lin Mo's question, "Are we still brothers?" He had given him such a rare Tianhuang chicken-blood inkstone. What else could they be but brothers? So he replied, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
After several rounds of drinks, everyone's faces were flushed. Since most of the guests were from noble families or sons of high-ranking officials, they began to talk about unofficial court history and palace secrets. Xu Silin listened to this for a while and found it boring, so he just listened without saying much.
The girls from the troupe of courtesans were summoned to their side to serve them and drink with them, while only one remained to continue playing the pipa.
The girl serving Xu Silin was quite pretty and had a very shapely figure. Despite the cold weather, she was only wearing a thin veil, beneath which were her rather full breasts.
Serving others was their duty, and serving noble young masters like them was their dream. In addition, Xu Silin was handsome and extraordinary, and under that gorgeous robe, there must be a young and strong body. Just thinking about it was enough to make people's hearts flutter.
So, when she poured him wine, she would always intentionally or unintentionally brush her body against him, and when she looked at him, her eyes would be filled with a hint of ambiguity and seduction.
Xu Silin remained completely unmoved by the actions of those around him.
He was already very familiar with such scenes; he'd seen them countless times. Whenever a woman knew his identity and saw his face, she would eagerly offer herself to him. But he wasn't a promiscuous man. Although he had frequented such places countless times, he had never actually taken advantage of a woman there… except for one time when he was drunk and a woman used her mouth…
Stopping his reminiscence, Xu Silin picked up his wine glass and took a big gulp.
Later, as the conversation progressed, they unexpectedly mentioned Shen Qingchen. Everyone seemed quite interested in this Lord Shen, who had risen through the ranks so rapidly and repeatedly amazed everyone.
"That Shen Qingchen is indeed handsome, but I wonder what's under that scarlet official robe..." The son of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was quite fond of men, but before he could finish speaking, he was slapped in the mouth by a chopstick thrown by Xu Silin.
"Brother Xu..."
"Shut your dog mouth and don't mention her."
He showed no politeness or restraint towards his childhood friend; the moment he heard those words, the string of reason in his mind seemed to snap.
The man covered his aching mouth, looking bewildered, and said, "Why..."
"Smelly."
Lin Mo knew that he had feelings for Shen Qingchen, so he quickly smoothed things over and urged everyone to drink.
Seeing that Xu Silin was angry, the girl beside him quickly handed him a cup of wine, pressed her breasts against his arm, and said in a coquettish voice, "Honorable guest, please calm down. I will drink with you."
Xu Silin, who had been ignoring her, finally looked at her and said, "Get out."
The girl was stunned for a moment, and then she saw him pull his money pouch from his waist and throw it into her arms, saying, "Here, take it all, and stay away from me."
His face was slightly flushed, his handsome features were indifferent, and his dark eyes were devoid of warmth.
Seeing the awkward situation, Lin Mo quickly said, "Boss, if you're not satisfied with this one, why don't we change to another one..."
"No need."
There was still two ounces of wine in the wine jug in front of him, but Xu Silin picked it up, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp. "Brothers, drink slowly. I'm leaving now."
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he stood up and left his seat.
When they returned to the entrance of the Xu residence, it began to snow lightly.
The effects of the alcohol were slowly kicking in. He leaned against the screen wall, panting slightly. His head felt heavy, and he felt a bit down and unhappy.
It's a feeling I can't quite describe.
After resting for a while, Xu Silin did not return to his own room, but instead headed towards the courtyard where Shen Qian was.
He visited him often these days, and Shen Qian's gradual improvement in his injuries made him both happy and somewhat annoyed. Once he was fully healed, she certainly wouldn't come anymore.
Before Xu Silin even reached the courtyard where Shen Qian was recuperating, he ran into the manor's steward. The steward said, "Master Shen has arrived. He's currently in his second uncle's room."
These words instantly filled Xu Silin with ecstasy.
He could hardly believe that the person he had been thinking about all day was right there in his house.
Shen Qingchen came to see her second uncle today and also wanted to have a word with Xu Silin, but she waited for a long time and he never came.
Shen Qian was already asleep. She was about to go home when she pushed open the door and saw Xu Silin, his face slightly flushed and reeking of alcohol. His breathing was a little rapid, and he stood there in front of her, slightly startled.
"You're back," she said casually. "Did you go drinking?"
"Hmm. When did you arrive?"
"It's been some time." Qingchen closed the door. "Thank you for your help these past few days, Second Uncle."
Busy with official duties, she didn't have much time to visit her second uncle. She only asked Lin Xiaojin to send someone to serve him, but he still used the Xu family's food, clothing, and daily necessities. It was only right that she expressed her gratitude.
"Are you leaving already?" he asked, somewhat reluctantly.
"Hmm." Qingchen thought for a moment, then said, "I was originally planning to leave, it's getting late. But since you're back... can we talk for a bit?"
"It's cold outside, let's come inside and talk."
"good."
Qingchen followed Xu Silin into a guest room. As soon as she entered, Xu Silin grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the wall.
The room was dark, with only the faint moonlight filtering in through the window and falling on her face.
Qingchen was startled and struggled, saying, "What are you doing!"
He suddenly pulled out the hairpin that was holding her hair up.
Under the moonlight, her long, black hair cascaded down like ink, covering her thin shoulders.
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