Chapter 67: The Secret Key to the Study, Seeking at Risk
As soon as the gong struck the hour of Xu, the candlelight in the study began to flicker violently. Xiao Jin sat in the armchair, three of the wine jugs before him already empty. The strong odor of alcohol, wrapped in the ambergris on his body, filled the entire room, making even the air seem hazy.
"More... fill it up again!" He grabbed the fourth wine jug and poured wine into the cup, spilling most of the wine, which splashed onto the dark brocade robe, leaving dark stains. Today, Shen Qingyue said she had "caught a cold" and declined to join him for dinner. He had been drinking alone until now, feeling inexplicably irritated and dissatisfied with everything he saw.
There was a light knock on the door, and Yun Zhi's voice was just the right amount of gentleness: "Your Highness, I made some hangover soup and brought it to you to warm your stomach."
Xiao Jin didn't look up, but waved his hand and said vaguely, "Come in."
Yun Zhi walked in, carrying a food box. The hem of her plain dress swept the floor, making almost no sound. She poured the hangover soup into a white porcelain bowl and placed it next to Xiao Jin, saying softly, "Your Highness, drink slowly. The soup is still warm and will help you feel better."
Xiao Jin glanced at her sideways, his eyes a little dazed by drunkenness, but still filled with his usual scrutiny. "You're... thoughtful. Why, knowing I'm in a bad mood, did you come here specifically to please me?"
Yun Zhi immediately lowered her head, her fingers lightly clutching the corner of her clothes, and her voice softened. "I just feel that the prince has been busy with Miss Shen and the affairs of the palace recently. If he gets hurt, it will not be worth it. This servant...this is all I can do."
She deliberately mentioned Shen Qingyue, and her self-awareness played a crucial role in Xiao Jin's current situation. He felt pity for Shen Qingyue's "weakness," yet felt a strange comfort in Yun Zhi's obedience. He picked up the hangover soup and drank it in one gulp. The hot soup slid down his throat, dispelling some of the alcohol, but also making him feel even more drowsy.
"You...stay and have a few drinks with me." Xiao Jin pushed the empty bowl aside, poured another glass of wine and handed it to Yun Zhi.
Yun Zhi's heart skipped a beat—her chance had arrived! Lowering her eyes, she took the wine glass and deliberately brushed her fingertips lightly across Xiao Jin's, feeling the coolness of his fingertips and the bulge of the brass key on his waist—that was her target tonight.
"I...can't hold my liquor well, and I'm afraid of spoiling the prince's mood." Yun Zhi pretended to refuse, but still put the wine glass to her lips and took a sip. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she looked like she really couldn't hold her liquor well.
Xiao Jin looked at her flushed cheeks, remembering how she looked when she first entered the palace. The irritation in his heart gradually faded, replaced by a vague sense of possessiveness. He reached out, pinched her chin, and forced her to look up. "What are you afraid of? With me here, who dares to say anything to you?"
Yun Zhi's eyes instantly turned red, as if she was frightened by his actions, but also seemed "flattered". Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall: "Your Highness... I just feel that I am not worthy..."
"Whether we're worthy or not is up to me!" Xiao Jin's fingers slid down to her neck, caressing it gently, his eyes filled with intoxication. "Your face... does resemble Qingyue's, but you're a bit more... stubborn than her. Why didn't I notice this before..."
His voice became lower and lower, almost turning into a whisper, his fingers gradually loosened their strength, his head leaned against the back of the chair, and his breathing became heavy - he was obviously very drunk and his consciousness was beginning to blur.
Yun Zhi's heartbeat was so rapid it threatened to burst from her chest. She quietly pulled out a small piece of beeswax from her sleeve—Liu Zhong had bought it from outside the palace. Its soft texture was perfect for imprinting the key pattern. Her fingertips trembled slightly with nervousness, but she still reached for Xiao Jin's waist with steady precision.
The brass key felt cold to the touch, and she carefully pressed the beeswax onto the key, pressing gently to ensure that each pattern was clearly imprinted on the wax. Xiao Jin's breath was right beside her ear, and the warm smell of alcohol sprayed on her neck, making her tense, afraid that he would suddenly wake up.
Just as the beeswax rubbing was about to be completed, Xiao Jin suddenly moved, his hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, his eyes instantly sharpened: "What are you doing?"
Yun Zhi's mind went blank, and her heart suddenly stopped! She forced herself to calm down, and immediately put on a panicked look, tears falling. Her voice was filled with tears: "Your Highness... I... I just felt that the key hanging on your waist was uncomfortable, and I wanted to help you adjust it... I didn't mean any other things, Your Highness, please spare my life!"
Xiao Jin stared into her eyes, the sharpness in them gradually giving way to drunkenness. He released her wrist, his fingers unconsciously fumbling for the key at his waist. He glanced at Yun Zhi's reddened eyes and trembling shoulders, thinking she was frightened by him. He snorted coldly, "You're quite courageous! Don't you consider your status? Get out of here... Stop getting in the way!"
"Yes! I'll leave right away!" Yun Zhiru was pardoned. She quickly hid the beeswax with the pattern on it back into her sleeve, bowed, turned around and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Xiao Jin suddenly called her again, his voice unclear, "Take... take the wine jug off the table. Don't leave it here... it's annoying to look at it."
Yun Zhi's heart tightened, fearing he might cause trouble again, but she still obeyed, picked up the empty wine jug on the table, and hurried to the door. When she reached the door, she couldn't help but glance back—Xiao Jin was already leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed, breathing evenly, clearly completely drunk and asleep.
She breathed a sigh of relief, walked out of the study faster, and closed the door behind her. Her back was already drenched in sweat. As she turned the corner of the corridor, she saw a dark figure flash by in the darkness. She immediately lowered her head, pretending not to see it, and hurried towards the west wing. Was it Shen Qingyue's men, or Xiao Jin's secret guards? She didn't know, and she didn't dare to ask further. The most important thing now was to safely hand the key pattern to Liu Zhong so that he could copy the key as soon as possible.
Returning to the west wing, Yun Zhi immediately closed the door and pulled the beeswax from her sleeve. The key pattern was clearly visible on it, with every line of the brass key perfectly imprinted. She carefully wrapped the beeswax in oiled paper and hid it in the cracks between the bricks under the bed, placing it with the secret letter from before.
Under the candlelight, she studied the pattern on the beeswax, her eyes filled with determination. The key rubbing was successful. Next, she just had to wait for a chance when Xiao Jin was away and Shen Qingyue was too busy to pay attention to anything else. If she could enter the secret room in the study and find the evidence that had framed the Yun family, her revenge plan would take the crucial step forward.
But she didn't know that in the study, Xiao Jin slowly opened his eyes after she left. His eyes were clear, not even a hint of drunkenness left. He touched the key at his waist, then thought of Yun Zhi's trembling shoulders and red eyes. A complex doubt welled up in his heart - had she really just wanted to help him adjust the key? Or... did she have another motive?
He called over the secret guards and said in a low voice, "Keep an eye on Yun Zhi in the west wing. Report to me who she met recently, what she said, and what she sent out. Also, find out who the person who was in the dark in the corridor just now is."
"Yes!" The secret guard disappeared in response.
Xiao Jin leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his eyes dark and unclear. He had pretended to be drunk, just to test Yun Zhi, but he hadn't expected her to actually be interested in the key. What did she want the key for? To escape the palace, or... for something else?
An inexplicable irritation welled up in Xiao Jin's heart once again. He picked up the empty wine jug on the table and slammed it to the ground. The sound of shattering porcelain was particularly piercing in the silent night. For the first time, he felt that this seemingly docile woman was like a bottomless well, which he could not see through, but he could not help but want to explore.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhi, in the west wing, was still celebrating her success, unaware that her actions had already aroused Xiao Jin's deeper suspicion. A battle over "keys" and "evidence" had just begun, and a more intense clash was about to ensue between her and Xiao Jin.
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