Chapter 44: The Forty-Fourth Kill

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xunran raised his head and was about to cough again.

But he had no strength and could only cough loudly.

He coughed and whispered, "I, I am."

Xiaoyu let Zhou Yi help him up, "What do you mean you are? That bracelet was not given to you by your master at all. It was given to you by that Yangzhou richest man, Ying. Not only did you deceive me, but you also delayed me from finding my junior brother."

Zhou Yi didn't know why this matter would involve Zheng Ying. Thinking back to when he was in the kitchen and told Xiaoyu that the Buddhist beads on Prince Wang's wrist were given by Zheng Ying, he had a premonition that he would be involved next, so he just held Zhou Xunran and dared not say anything.

Even holding my breath.

Zhou Xunran tried to explain, "It was given by my master. Zheng Ying didn't give me this."

"That's right! I've already checked the warehouse. It's already this late, so stop lying."

Zhou Xunran was so angry at her words that he started coughing. He bent over and lay on the quilt, almost coughing out his lungs.

Seeing that he seemed to be breathing out more than breathing in, Xiaoyu felt a little guilty. Minglu happened to come in with medicine. Xiaoyu hurriedly said, "Take the medicine first, and then we'll talk."

Zhou Xunran pushed Zhou Yi away and lay down, "All of you get out."

Zhou Yi and Ming Lu looked at each other.

Minglu handed the medicine bowl to Xiaoyu and took Zhou Yi out.

Knowing that the cause of this incident might be related to him, Zhou Yi looked at Xiaoyu with a troubled look as he walked.

"Zhou Yi."

Zhou Yi was startled when he suddenly heard Zhou Xunran's voice, "My Lord, My Lord."

"Ask Wang Shunyi to bring the warehouse booklet over." Zhou Xunran said.

Xiaoyu held it down: "No need to take it, I've seen it all."

Zhou Xunran didn't say anything.

Zhou Yi waited for a moment in embarrassment, "Then I'll go get it."

He walked out of the room, rubbing his hands anxiously, "It's over, it's over, Minglu, your brother Zhou is finished."

Seeing that he was anxious and didn't seem to be joking, Minglu asked, "What's wrong? What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Zhou Yi walked with her to the storeroom. "You don't know, two years ago, Zheng Ying from Yangzhou gave the prince a gift, the one with three carriages."

This matter clearly impressed Lu, after all, it was not common to have three carriages at once.

"Yes, I remember."

Zhou Yi said, "That's the problem. I remember there was a Buddhist bead bracelet in the gift, and the prince also wore a bracelet on his wrist at some point, so I thought it was Zheng Ying who gave it to him, so I told Xiaoyu about it in a mean way."

"so....."

"Listening to their conversation," Zhou Yi looked back at the house with closed doors and windows, and felt like there was a sleeping lion crouching inside, ready to wake up and tear him into pieces in the next moment.

Zhou Yi said: "The necklace on the prince's wrist was given by his and Xiaoyu's master. Xiaoyu thought that the prince had deceived her and pretended to be her master's apprentice, so she ran away from home in anger."

Minglu took a breath.

"No wonder she seemed a little weird those two days. She was listless and had no interest in doing anything."

As they were talking, the two had already arrived at the warehouse.

Wang Shunyi was taking inventory, and when he saw the two men coming together, he suddenly felt panic: "Guardian Zhou and..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhou Yi interrupted him, "Old Wang, quickly find the gift book that Zheng Ying from Yangzhou sent over two days ago. The prince wants to see it."

"Zheng Ying?" Wang Shunyi muttered a few words and pulled out a booklet from the shelf. "Miss Xiaoyu came here a few days ago and also asked about this person. What a coincidence."

Zhou Yi's hand trembled.

He just said that he was finished.

Minglu took the booklet from his shaking hands and turned to the list of gifts sent by Zheng Ying. "There is a Buddhist bead bracelet. But the number of beads is wrong. His record says there are 27 beads, but the one worn on the prince's wrist only has 21 beads. This is not a string at all!"

Zhou Yi: “….”

It’s over, the sky is falling!

"Here, take it."

Minglu looked at him sympathetically and said, "Let's go."

After saying that, he looked at Wang Shunyi sympathetically and said, "The chief steward should also go with us and explain to Master Wang where the bracelet is."

Wang Shunyi: “….”

Zhou Xunran didn't want to listen to their explanations, and he didn't have the habit of listening to people's explanations after they made mistakes. But now Xiaoyu was here, and this explanation was related to her misunderstanding of him. Zhou Xunran endured it and let them speak.

Zhou Yi did not dare to speak, and secretly signaled Wang Shunyi to speak first.

Now that things have come to this, it is useless to explain. Xiaoyu said: "No need to say anything, I believe you."

Zhou Xunran glanced at them coldly and said, "If the bracelet doesn't show up in half an hour, don't show up in the palace anymore."

Wang Shunyi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, bowed to him when he heard the words, and immediately walked out with his head lowered.

Zhou Yi also followed him out.

There were only two people left in the room.

Xiaoyu brought the medicine bowl to Zhou Xunran and said, "Drink the medicine."

Zhou Xunran turned his head away, stroking the Buddhist beads bracelet in his hand. He wanted to tell her the function of the bracelet, but he was afraid that if he told her, she would treat him as a monster again. Just like this time, stay away from him.

Xiaoyu looked at his childish actions and said, "Why are you acting like a child and thinking the medicine is bitter? I'll go get you some preserved honey."

She stood up to leave.

Zhou Xunran didn't care about her bringing the medicine, and quickly grabbed her, "Don't leave."

Fortunately, Xiaoyu had practiced standing on a stake when she was solving the problem, so when he pulled her like that, even though her body had fallen on him, the medicine bowl in her hand did not spill a single drop.

"What are you doing? This is the medicine Minglu worked so hard to make. What will happen if you spill it?"

"Then wait a little longer."

"I don't want to bother with you. Let me go and I'll find you some candied fruit."

Zhou Xunran held her body and prevented her from moving.

"Don't leave anymore, okay."

Xiaoyu ignored his coquettish words and said, "Humph, if you don't want me to leave, then I was in Li Mansion for two days and was almost sent to the palace, but you didn't come to pick me up."

"If the Li Mansion didn't have the royal palace's thugs, do you think you could have escaped so smoothly?"

Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment, "Could it be that the beauty Cao Shipeng sent to the palace was also your work?"

Zhou Xunran didn't say anything, which was considered as his consent.

"You are in a coma, aren't you? How can you arrange so many things?"

"I'm not unconscious for a moment."

"Okay, you're smart. Let me go. I want to get up."

She struggled to get up from him, but Zhou Xunran held her body tightly, "Xiao Yu, good senior sister."

Xiaoyu felt so irritated by his corny tone that her heart started to swell.

"Don't go. I don't want you to leave."

Xiaoyu's voice was a little weak, "I didn't leave, I went to get the candied fruit."

"I mean in the future," Zhou Xunran looked at her, "in the future, for the rest of my life."

The two looked at each other, Xiaoyu looked into his eyes, which were like two flames, burning fiercely, making the skin on her face a little hot.

"You're changing the subject a little too quickly. Let me think about it."

Zhou Xunran's voice became lower and lower, "I don't know when I had this thought, but I suddenly wanted to pay attention to you every moment. When I can't see you, I will wonder what you are doing at the moment, who you are talking to, and whether you are thinking about me. When I see you, I will be happy and feel that time passes quickly. No matter how difficult the task is, when I think of you, I have the confidence to solve it. Zhou Yi didn't understand, Lin Kun said, this is love. Xiaoyu, I like you very much, I want you to stay here with me forever, okay?"

Xiaoyu blinked, not knowing how things had developed to this point.

Seeing his face getting closer, Xiaoyu reacted, tilted her head back, drank a big gulp of the medicine, closed her eyes and waited for him to come over.

I waited for a while, but still didn't see him.

Xiaoyu opened her eyes and saw that Zhou Xunran had already finished the medicine in the bowl.

She still had a mouthful of medicine in her mouth, so it was inconvenient for her to speak, so she just pointed her lips at him.

Zhou Xunran smiled and said, "Why, you like to drink this medicine too? Doctor Chu said that today's medicine is very bitter. You are in good health, and the medicine is poisonous, so don't drink it."

You don't let me drink it, but you take it!

Xiaoyu punched him angrily.

Zhou Xunran suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips.

The bitter and fishy medicine in his mouth was drunk bit by bit, and the little fish felt alive again.

He didn't leave after he finished drinking it. He didn't leave until the last trace of bitterness in her mouth disappeared. Only then did he leave with satisfaction.

Xiaoyu's eyes were watery after being kissed, and he felt a little overwhelmed.

"If you don't mind, that means you like me too."

Xiaoyu: “….”

I want to be disgusted, but please don't pinch my face to stop me from moving!

***

Although she stayed in the palace and her life remained the same as before, Xiaoyu felt that something was changing subtly in her heart.

She couldn't tell what it was.

It was not until the eve of Minglu and Lin Kun's wedding that Xiaoyu walked out of Minglu's room and saw Zhou Xunran standing at the gate of the courtyard waiting for her.

"Junior Brother!" When no one was around, Xiaoyu resumed calling him by his previous name.

Zhou Xunran held her hand tightly under his wide cloak, "Are you ready?"

Xiaoyu nodded, "Just waiting for the wedding procession to arrive tomorrow."

"Um."

The two walked forward for a while, and Zhou Xunran stopped: "Now Cao Shipeng's power has been hollowed out, so we will deal with his affairs in the past few days. I have also returned most of the government affairs to His Majesty. After Minglu and Lin Kun's affairs are settled, Xiaoyu, let's leave here."

Xiaoyu was a little surprised: "Leaving? You don't want to be the regent anymore?"

Zhou Xunran squeezed her hand and said, "I know you are unhappy, Xiaoyu. You are unhappy in the palace."

Xiaoyu's eyes became hot and he almost shed tears.

Zhou Xunran has a heavy burden on his shoulders. He has to shoulder the responsibility of the entire court. Sometimes he has to be ruthless and cruel, which is a means to shock people. But for Xiaoyu, facing ruthlessness is a very sad thing.

She has been enduring it.

I thought she hid it very well, but he still saw through it.

"I....."

Zhou Xunran interrupted her: "The emperor has grown up, and the world should belong to him. I am also tired these years, and I want to go out for fun and rest. Where do you want to go? How about we go to Yangzhou first? Didn't you always say that you wanted to settle accounts with Zheng Ying?"

Xiaoyu hesitated: "What about Miss Qingxue?"

"She fits in here."

Xiaoyu looked up at him and smiled: "Okay."