Chapter 72
"So we're just not going to do anything?"
Shen Yao smiled faintly.
Wei Luo immediately became displeased, raised his hand and pinched the girl's face, snorting, "No way, don't you understand the principle of reciprocity?"
Shen Yao winced in pain, slapped his hand away with a "smack," and scolded him in a coquettish voice, "You bastard, you son of a bitch, you tied me up last night and made me suffer for so long, our reciprocal relationship is long over."
She got up, brushing her hair aside as she glanced at him, "It's getting late, I should go home and find my father—"
"You dare?" Wei Luo was immediately shocked. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, pressing her down so hard that she was pressed against his chest again. "You've entered the gates of my Eastern Palace, and you still think you can leave?"
"Hmph, what do you intend to do about it?"
"Of course, we should serve the master first."
"Vulgar." Shen Yao couldn't help but curse.
“Vulgar?” Wei Luo chuckled, flicked his forehead, and said in a hoarse voice, “How is lovemaking between men and women vulgar? Besides, the way you enjoyed it last night, tsk tsk tsk… I’ve never seen someone who turns their back on you after pulling up their pants.”
"Hey, shut up."
Shen Yao quickly covered his mouth, looked into his cold, star-like black eyes, and said shyly, "I didn't, you're talking nonsense."
Wei Luo licked her palm, hummed a few times, and said happily, "Let's begin then, hurry up, I have something to do later."
Last night, His Highness suffered half the night after making a bad deal and vowed to get his money back.
He called her name in a hoarse voice, patiently coaxing, "A-Yao, Qingqing~"
Shen Yao felt embarrassed, but seeing his eager look, she found it amusing and chuckled softly, "Alright, alright, I won't let you suffer."
Finally getting what he wanted, Wei Luo was overjoyed and immediately squinted his eyes to enjoy it... However, it seemed to be different from what he had imagined.
He grabbed the woman's wrist, frowning in displeasure, and said, "This is so unfair! Why are you only using your hands?"
Shen Yao was taken aback. Suddenly, she thought of something and her eyes widened in panic. She said in a trembling voice, "I... you have something to do later. I'm thinking of you. Let's finish this quickly."
"...? No, it doesn't matter how much time it takes. You can do it the same way I do."
Shen Yao's face instantly turned as red as if it were about to bleed.
She looked down at herself, thinking that she had just finished eating and it was really hard to swallow now, so she refused directly, "It's broad daylight, I'm not doing it. If you don't want to, then forget it."
She let go.
The woman's hand was warm and soft. As soon as she left, a deep sense of loss welled up in his heart. He felt as if ants were crawling all over him, and he was restless and agitated, like a dragon trapped in shallow water, with no way to use his strength.
Wei Luo had no choice but to lower his voice and try to persuade her with kind words, uttering a string of gentle and sweet phrases, hoping that she would suck his throat once.
But the woman still wouldn't have it. Wei Luo had no other choice. He rolled his eyes and suddenly pointed to the rocking chair not far away, saying with a half-smile, "A Yao, look, that thing is still there. Don't blame me for being unjust if you're ruthless."
Shen Yao looked over and instantly felt a surge of anger. This guy wanted to tie her up again. He was a pervert. So she grabbed his ear and snorted, "You're threatening me now. You'll lose your hand too. You'll have to deal with it yourself."
She tossed him a handkerchief and got out of bed to dress, ignoring his mournful gaze.
Seeing that the beauty was really about to leave, Wei Luo stopped making demands for the time being and said helplessly, "Fine, whatever you say."
What a huge loss!
Shen Yao looked at him and chuckled, "That's more like it."
Hmph~
*
The sun rose in the east, and the sky was bright and clear.
After they finished, one went to the Ministry of Rites to attend to official business, while the other went straight back to the Shen family.
As soon as Shen Yao stepped through the gate, she bumped into Xu Xuan, a man dressed in a blue official robe and black boots, who walked gracefully towards her.
The solemnity is like the wind beneath the pines, which not only makes the person appear refined and elegant, but also gives them a dignified and imposing air.
Shen Yao greeted him and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Xu Xuan walked in, smiled slightly, and said, "I have been recuperating at home for many days, and my health has almost recovered. I have come to visit my father-in-law today and take this opportunity to go to the government office to return to my post."
He returned to work after his leave.
Shen Yao asked again, "Is my father going too?"
These days, due to the case of the seditious book, Master Shen has also been staying at home to "recuperate." However, with many things to do at the end of the year, there is no way to avoid it, and he will also have to return to his post.
Xu Xuan nodded and replied, "He went to change into his official robes and will be here soon."
"Okay." Shen Yao replied, "Then I'll head back now."
He was about to leave when Xu Xuan grabbed his wrist. He looked around and said, "Wait, I have something to tell you."
The two reached a corner, and Xu Xuan released her, coughing once, "It's still about that matter."
His expression was serious, and Shen Yao immediately guessed the issue of his background. Thinking that he was still worried, she quickly said, "I haven't mentioned it to anyone."
Xu Xuan paused for a moment, then shook her head with a smile. "No, I didn't suspect you. Actually... I wanted to ask you for a favor."
"Huh?" Shen Yao was suddenly startled and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Xu Xuan leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Help me lure my mother out. When she's not home, I'll go inside and look around. Maybe I'll find some clues."
Since Xu's father was unable to speak and harbored resentment towards Xu Xuan, it was extremely difficult to extract any secrets from him. Therefore, he could only try to get information from Xu's mother.
When Liu Ru was alive, Xu's mother would often go out with her to burn incense and make wishes. Now that Liu Ru is gone, she spends almost every day in the Buddhist hall, oblivious to everything else.
Xu Xuan was outnumbered and had no choice but to seek help from Shen Yao.
Although the idea was good, Shen Yao felt that she had difficulty communicating with Xu's mother, so asking her to make an appointment now would be asking too much. Shen Yao frowned and looked at Xu Xuan with hesitation.
"Me? Your mother has always disliked me, so why would she come out with me?"
"Are you stupid? Just have your mother-in-law make the arrangements. The two of them can visit a temple, and I'll have enough time."
Shen Yao looked at him, considering the feasibility of her plan.
After pondering for a while, she still shook her head and said, "I don't think it's a good idea. Look, your house has been repaired countless times over the years. Do you think those things can still be preserved?"
"Let's put that aside for now and talk about your background. Since you're not their biological son, this news must have been kept tightly under wraps, and the evidence must have been destroyed long ago."
"It can't be found."
Shen Yao gave her final conclusion.
She felt that this method had a very low success rate.
Xu Xuan's face darkened, and she rubbed her head and sighed, "Do you have any good ideas? Help me think of something."
Well, it seems the two of them have really become allies now.
Shen Yao stared at him blankly. The man's attitude was much better than before, and his eyes were much kinder. She had to admit that she didn't dislike Xu Xuan like this.
Since you don't dislike them, there's nothing wrong with helping them; it's better to have one more friend than one more enemy.
"Let me think about it. How about this, I'll tell you when I've made up my mind?"
He was busy right now and seemed to have no other choice but to go along with her idea. Xu Xuan nodded in agreement.
Just then, Master Shen strode over, his red official robes billowing in the wind as he walked, exuding an air of authority.
Shen Yao clapped her hands and exclaimed, "You look so handsome in red!"
The sound drifted in the wind. Xu Xuan frowned slightly. When he turned around, Shen Yao had already run away in small pieces of cloth. He was momentarily stunned.
Her last sentence seemed to have a deeper meaning.
*
The father-in-law and son-in-law parted ways after arriving at Zhengyangmen by car.
The Ministry of Justice was located on the west side. When Xu Xuan went there, he suddenly saw a group of people kneeling outside the Ministry of Rites, shouting incessantly.
When did the Six Ministries become so noisy?
Driven by curiosity, he stepped over.
Upon closer inspection, they were stunned to find a group of nobles, marquises, and earls wailing and crying. Many of them looked familiar, but they had hardly ever met them before.
In a daze, Xu Xuan thought of what Deng Yan had said about the Crown Prince arresting people. It seemed that they were the ones causing trouble. With such a commotion, yet no one was doing anything about it, he shook his head and turned to leave.
Inside the Ministry of Rites, Wei Luo was also troubled by the group of people at the entrance.
Last time at the Shen family's outer residence, he, posing as Xu Xuan, persuaded everyone to stop causing trouble. He said their son had committed heinous crimes and deserved to be severely punished by law long ago. Instead of pleading here, they should prepare more money to spare their son's suffering.
Guo Zheng walked over and reported, "Your Highness, both lists are here. When shall we present them to His Majesty?"
Wei Luo took the roster, lowered his eyes and quickly flipped through it again. Only after confirming that there were no problems did he close it and say, "Send it to the Ministry of Justice now, both copies together."
One document contained a list of redundant members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, while the other contained a list of more than a dozen criminal sons of noble families.
Guo Zheng nodded and replied, "Alright, should we inform the Cabinet?"
"The Cabinet?" Wei Luo shook his head and smiled, "No need, His Majesty entrusted this matter to me. It's not good for too many people to be involved."
After saying that, he waved to the outside, and several guards came in. Wei Luo said, "Drive away the group of people at the door."
They were so noisy, like sparrows, that he was completely fed up with them.
As the hour of Si (9-11 AM) approached, the people outside the government office were dispersed, and Wei Luo was finally satisfied.
At this time, Guo Zheng had already written the memorial, affixed the official seal of the Eastern Palace, and submitted it to the Ministry of Communications.
Having a moment of free time, Wei Luo asked about Deng Yan's recent situation. Guo Zheng replied, "At home, I heard he's drinking and having fun every day, and seems to be enjoying himself."
Wei Luo laughed and said, "You seem to be living comfortably." After a pause, he added, "What about that censor who impeached Deng Yan? Has it been found out who instigated him?"
Upon hearing this, Guo Zheng raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Your Highness may take a guess."
Since someone asked that question, they must be an old rival. Wei Luo lifted his eyelids and asked with certainty, "The Shen family, isn't it?"
Guo Zheng smiled faintly.
Wei Luo added, "Not only that, but Wang Zhen should also be involved. Those two hate me the most."
Guo Zheng nodded and said softly, "Your Highness is wise."
Wei Luo snorted coldly and asked again, "What about Liu Zhengxin? Has he not made any moves lately?"
"We haven't found any evidence that Grand Secretary Liu was involved," Guo Zheng replied truthfully.
"Hmph, he always prides himself on being a paragon of virtue, but where in this world is there any true virtue? I think he's just someone who wears the cloak of virtue to do filthy things."
These words were full of resentment, and Guo Zheng dared not respond, only hanging his head in silence.
Upon seeing this, Wei Luo immediately felt bored. The two decided to change the subject and discussed government affairs for a while, by which time it was noon.
The sun was shining brightly, and the cold wind had subsided a bit. Wei Luo planned to return to the palace, but unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of the government office, he saw Xu Xuan walking towards him.
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