"What is this?" Liu Yan suddenly asked, and Mu Zhuohua shuddered with fright.
"What, what?" Mu Zhuohua stammered, his eyes fell on the fingertips of Liu Yan's left hand, only to see that Liu Yan's fair fingers were stained with a faint black color.
Mu Zhuohua was startled, and subconsciously touched her face - how did her disguise fall off!
It turned out that Liu Yan was not trying to do anything when he touched her face just now, but because he found that her makeup had fallen off and he had wiped off the disguise cream.
Liu Yan then let go of Mu Zhuohua's chin and looked at her clean face with interest.
No wonder he always felt that Mu Zhuohua was a little strange. After the examination, she seemed to have become a different person. It turned out that the innocence and childishness were pretended, and the maturity and stability were also pretended. She had as many masks as her clothes. Now that the disguised face has been washed off, it is her true appearance.
The girl's face was beautiful, but there was a peach-like color between her eyebrows and eyes. Her almond eyes were cunning and smart. However, when her true face was revealed, she suddenly panicked. She knelt on the ground in a loose robe that didn't fit her, which made her look even more petite and helpless. Under the trembling, she had a pitiful posture.
"Your Highness... I didn't mean to deceive you..." Mu Zhuohua lowered her head and twisted her sleeves uneasily, "It's not easy for a girl to go out. I always have to cover up... If Your Highness doesn't like it, I won't change my appearance in front of Your Highness in the future." Mu Zhuohua raised her head, her fair face was faintly pink, as delicate as peach blossoms, her eyes were shining with seductive spirit, and she said softly, "My appearance is only for Your Highness to see."
Even Liu Yan, whose heart was as calm as water, couldn't help but be moved by the soft voice. I thought this was a ghost girl, but it turned out that under the layers of painted skin, there was a little goblin.
Liu Yan rubbed his forehead and coughed lightly: "Forget it, it's inconvenient for you to do things in the court with this appearance, so you should dress up."
Mu Zhuohua said obediently: "Okay, I will listen to you, Your Majesty."
As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling person. Such a charming and well-behaved little goblin really makes people unable to hit or scold her. Liu Yan has no doubt that if he wants to hit her, she will pretend to be willing and aggrieved. She really grasped his weakness and knew that he was not a tyrannical and cold person. He would be soft but not hard.
This kind of strange woman is really the only one he has ever seen in his life.
Seeing that Liu Yan was silent, Mu Zhuohua whispered: "Your Majesty, you are not angry anymore."
Liu Yan closed his eyes and said lightly: "If this king is angry, what will you do?"
Mu Zhuohua pursed his lips and said: "Then I will coax the prince again..."
Liu Yan couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips. Did he really want to let a little girl coax him?
Liu Yan opened his eyes and looked at Mu Zhuohua. She looked at Liu Yan with a somewhat aggrieved but hopeful expression. Liu Yan sighed softly in his heart and said, "I don't blame you."
Mu Zhuohua said cautiously, "Then... can I still stay with you in the future?"
Liu Yan asked curiously, "What will you do if I don't allow it?"
Mu Zhuohua bit her lip and said dejectedly, "I will listen to the prince, be sad alone, and secretly miss the prince from afar every day."
Liu Yan almost couldn't help laughing. "Ahem..." He coughed twice to hide his smile. "I cannot respond to your feelings, and I cannot decide for you what you want. After the ten-day break, you can go to the Lifan Temple to observe government affairs. Just don't sacrifice your public interest for personal gain."
Mu Zhuohua was overjoyed when he heard this. This meant he tacitly agreed to her approach. He immediately bowed deeply and said happily, "Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!"
Liu Yan said, "It's late at night, and the ground is cold. Get up."
Mu Zhuohua stood up from the ground, rubbed his sore knees, and said, "Then I will go back and not disturb Your Highness' rest. I will wash this dress and return it to Your Highness tomorrow."
Liu Yan waved his hand, "No need."
Mu Zhuohua blushed when he heard this, "Then... thank you for your reward, Your Highness."
Liu Yan choked. She had worn this dress, and he would not wear it again. He originally wanted to burn it or throw it away, but who knew that Mu Zhuohua actually understood it this way. It is ambiguous for a man to give clothes to a woman, not to mention that it is clothes that a man has worn himself...
Mu Zhuohua said solemnly and gratefully: "I will take good care of it!"
Liu Yan sighed in his heart and waved his hands helplessly: "No need... Never mind, it's up to you. I will let Zhimo take you back."
Zhimo took orders to send Mu Zhuohua back home and came back to report to Liu Yan.
"Your Majesty, she placed ladders on both sides of the wall."
Liu Yan laughed and shook his head: "Really..." He couldn't think of words to describe it.
Zhimo hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, she just said that she saw you enter the yard. It is absolutely nonsense. It is impossible for her to see where we came in from the attic window." Liu Yan smiled and said, "I know she is talking nonsense, but I just said what she said."
"This person is very suspicious." Zhimo frowned, "She climbed the wall in the middle of the night. I don't know what her intention is."
Liu Yan said, "I don't know either, but I can be sure that her intention must not have been fulfilled."
Zhimo asked respectfully, "Please give me some advice, Your Highness."
"On the second day after she moved next door, she went to Prince Ding's mansion to give gifts. Not only that, she gave gifts to the entire Zhuque Street and Zhuque Back Street. Especially in Zhuque Back Street, she visited almost every household. This person will not do anything without profit. If she didn't have a plan, she wouldn't be so diligent."
Zhimo suddenly realized: "She went door to door, what is she looking for?"
Liu Yan: "Yes, and she found nothing, otherwise she wouldn't climb the wall in the middle of the night to come here to search. When I caught her just now, she said it was a coincidence and wanted to get rid of me. In the blink of an eye, she deliberately flattered and showed weakness to get close to me. It can be seen that What she is looking for is most likely related to this family, and it can even be inferred that it is related to this courtyard. "
Zhi Mo looked at Liu Yan in awe: "So, Your Majesty, you deliberately gave her the opportunity to get close to you, in order to find what she is looking for?"
Liu Yan said: "The three clues have been broken. Mu Zhuohua knows about the Resurrection Powder, and she is also hiding some important clues and refuses to say. We can only wait for her to reveal her tracks. Zhi Mo, you carefully trace the past residents of this family, and don't miss anything. "
Zhi Mo suddenly realized: "Your Majesty is far-sighted, and I am convinced."
Liu Yan looked out the window, thinking of Mu Zhuohua's cunning eyes, and couldn't help but smile helplessly: "But she may not have noticed everything I thought of..."
Guo Juli saw Mu Zhuohua coming back in a new set of clothes, thinking that he was dazzled, and rubbed his eyes hard, but couldn't figure out what happened.
Mu Zhuohua returned to the room, washed off the smell of medicine on her body with Guo Juli's help, and changed into her own clothes.
"Miss, you said Prince Ding lives next door?" Guo Juli touched the fine material and believed Mu Zhuohua's words, "Then if you break into Prince Ding's mansion at night, will he let you go?"
Mu Zhuohua touched up her makeup in front of the mirror and said without turning her head, "Of course it's because Prince Ding saw my beauty and couldn't bear to kill me."
Guo Juli agreed and nodded, "So that's it."
Mu Zhuohua chuckled, "Silly girl, you are so gullible. If only Prince Ding was so gullible..."
Guo Juli asked in confusion, "Miss, I'm getting more confused..."
Mu Zhuohua finished her makeup, walked to the bed, and whispered in Guo Juli's ear, "What I'm looking for is next door."
Guo Juli's pupils shrank and he covered his mouth.
"So I have to find a way to get close to Prince Ding and find a chance to dig out the things my grandfather buried..." Mu Zhuohua lay on the bed, looking at the carvings on the bed, thinking quickly, "Liu Yan is not interested in women, he may not believe what I say, but men will take lies seriously after hearing too many lies. As long as he gives me a chance to get close to me, I will naturally find a way to make him let down his guard..."
Guo Juli took out the ointment, sat beside the bed and applied it to Mu Zhuohua, looking at the red and purple marks on her neck and the bruises on her wrists with heartache: "Prince Ding was too cruel, fortunately we still have half of the Huayu powder left, I will apply it for you , it should subside in two days. "Miss, you should stay at home to recover during these two days of rest."
Mu Zhuohua hummed, and suddenly remembered something: "No, my colleagues from the Hanlin Academy have an appointment to go to Xiaoqin Palace tomorrow afternoon. Find me a high-collared dress to cover the marks on my neck."
Guo Juli said: "Okay. Miss, what about Prince Ding's clothes?"
Mu Zhuohua glanced at it and said: "Put it away first, maybe it will come in handy in the future."
Guo Juli searched through the wardrobe and finally found a high-collared dress, but this dress was a bit thick, and the next day was a sunny day.
Mu Zhuohua was wearing this thick dress and was sweating when she arrived at Xiaoqin Palace.
Shen Jinghong and Song Lianxi looked at the sweaty Mu Zhuohua in astonishment and asked, "Editor Mu, why are you wearing such thick clothes today?"
Mu Zhuohua smiled and said, "I feel uncomfortable."
Shen Jinghong was still a little puzzled. As a man with a wife and children, Song Lianxi immediately had a reasonable guess and said, "If that's the case, you really need to keep warm."
Mu Zhuohua had no idea what Song Lianxi was thinking. She was so hot that she was exhausted and her mind was confused.
Song Lianxi whispered in Shen Jinghong's ear, and Shen Jinghong suddenly realized it.
Shen Jinghong said to Mu Zhuohua, "If you feel uncomfortable today, tell us and we will help you."
Mu Zhuohua smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you, my dear brothers. I won't be in the way. Let's go up. They must be waiting anxiously."
The three of them went up to the second floor of Xiao Qin Palace while talking and laughing. The spring day was bright and Xiao Qin Palace was crowded. The shadow of Yun Xiangyue's death had long been dispelled. As long as they were willing to spend money, what hurdles could they not overcome?
This Xiao Qin Palace covered a large area, but it was not a cheap place that specialized in the flesh trade. The front yard was not much different from an ordinary inn. It was also a place for eating, drinking, listening to music and watching plays. The back yard was a place for romance. Mu Zhuohua and the other two entered the box. The banquet had already started and everyone was there, except for the three of them.
"Editor Shen, you are late. Come on, you must drink three glasses first!" Everyone laughed and filled three glasses of wine. This wine is the most famous wine in Xiao Qin Palace. It is sweet but not spicy, mellow in the mouth, but has a strong aftertaste. Mu Zhuohua was about to admit the punishment, but she saw Shen Jinghong took her glass and said with a smile: "Editor Mu has caught a cold. I will drink this glass for her."
Mu Zhuohua was a little surprised. When did she catch a cold?
Shen Jinghong finished his words and drank it all in one gulp. Everyone looked at each other and laughed again, "Editor Shen is still
a man who can cherish women. Come and take a seat. The boss just heard that Master Jinghong is coming, but he has been looking forward to it for a long time." As soon as Shen Jinghong sat down, a Hanlin next to him lowered his voice and said slyly, "Miss Yunzhi is also looking forward to seeing you."
Yunzhi is a well-known talented woman in Xiaoqin Palace. She has always been a little proud, but she has no resistance to a man as talented as Shen Jinghong. As soon as the man finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. Who else could it be but Yunzhi?
Yunzhi has a beautiful appearance and a rare cold and reserved look among prostitutes, which makes the talented men feel itchy. But at this time, the cold and reserved Yunzhi was shy and timid in front of Shen Jinghong. She wanted to say something but hesitated. She moved her three-inch golden lotus and walked to Shen Jinghong's side.
"Sir Shen." Yunzhi called softly.
Everyone started to make a noise, "Thanks to Lord Shen's favor today, otherwise it would be rare for us to see Miss Yunzhi."
Mu Zhuohua looked at it and tactfully made way for a seat to the side, letting Yunzhi sit next to Shen Jinghong.
An old Hanlin stood up and said with a smile, "According to convention, our Hanlin Academy will hold a banquet. First, it is to welcome the new scholars. In the future, we will serve in the same court and help each other."
"Secondly..." The old Hanlin smiled maliciously, "It is to give you new Hanlin a warning, sharpen your spirit, so that you know how to respect the elderly. So today, if you don't drink until you vomit, don't think about going back!"
Everyone laughed. At a banquet like this, the biggest target of everyone is naturally the top scholar Shen Jinghong. Shen Jinghong not only showed his talent at the banquet, but also his drinking capacity was eye-catching. Therefore, they came prepared. At this moment, they have replaced the sweet wine with strong liquor, ready to get Shen Jinghong drunk.
Mu Zhuohua secretly complained, thinking that he would also be implicated.
Miss Yunzhi chuckled and said, "You have many people, but you teamed up to bully Lord Shen."
"Listen, someone is heartbroken." The old Hanlin said, "It's still good to be young. No one cares about our old bones. To comfort our hearts, first fill three cups for Lord Shen!"
Shen Jinghong smiled calmly, as if he didn't take the wine seriously. He drank it all in one gulp without changing his expression, and everyone cheered.
One person suggested: "For scholars like us, it would be a shame to have wine without poetry. Let's play a drinking game today and see who can come up with a question that can beat the number one scholar!"
Mu Zhuohua thought to herself that it was over. Shen Jinghong would not be stumped, but it was hard to say for herself.
Sure enough, those people had thought of the difficult questions. Mu Zhuohua's seat happened to be before Shen Jinghong. Before Shen Jinghong could be stumped, she was stuck first. Mu Zhuohua picked up the wine glass with a bitter face: "I lost, I admit the punishment, I admit the punishment..."
Mu Zhuohua drank the strong liquor in the glass, and a burning feeling burned from her stomach to her throat, choking her and making her cough. Her face immediately flushed and her eyes were filled with tears.
After two more rounds, it was still Mu Zhuohua's turn and she was stuck. Mu Zhuohua could only bite the bullet and drink two more glasses.
Seeing that it was Mu Zhuohua's turn again, she just picked up the wine glass, and everyone teased: "We are here to embarrass the No. 1 scholar, and we don't want to be blocked by Mu Tanhua."
Shen Jinghong suddenly smiled, held Mu Zhuohua's hand, picked up his own wine glass and drank it, then added another glass, raised his glass and said: "I will drink this glass for Lord Mu. I don't think there is any need for drinking games. You can just take turns to fight, and I, Shen, have nothing to fear!"
Shen Jinghong was talking and laughing, full of vigor and energy, which made Yunzhi's eyes shine and her heart tremble. Everyone cheered loudly and concentrated their firepower on Shen Jinghong. Shen Jinghong secretly pushed Mu Zhuohua, who immediately understood, quietly left his seat and walked downstairs.
After three glasses of strong liquor, Mu Zhuohua was sweating profusely, and he couldn't breathe because of his clothes. He just wanted to find a quiet place to breathe. Mu Zhuohua had been to Xiaoqin Palace before, but she had been treating patients in the backyard. It was daytime now, and the backyard was quiet. She found her way to the backyard based on her memory, found an empty courtyard, sat down, unbuttoned her collar, and fanned herself in the cool breeze.
Mu Zhuohua had gone to bed late last night, and had just been given strong liquor. She felt a little drowsy because of the alcohol. She thought that no one would come to this place during the day, so she pushed open the room, walked in, lay on the bed, closed her eyes and rested for a while.
After an unknown amount of time, Mu Zhuohua vaguely heard a sound in her daze. She opened her eyes drowsily, listened attentively, and suddenly froze.
There was a very low voice coming from outside the screen. Although the content of the conversation could not be heard clearly, it was clearly a man and a woman.
Is it open for business in broad daylight?
Mu Zhuohua was stunned for a moment, and then immediately remembered that the two people would definitely come to this bed in a while. Wouldn't it be even more embarrassing then?
Hearing this, Mu Zhuohua knew that he couldn't play dead anymore, and immediately stretched hard, making a loud noise to alert the outsiders that there was someone here.
The two people outside heard the movement inside and were silent for a moment. The next moment, they heard the door being opened and someone running out.
Mu Zhuohua rolled off the bed and was about to run out, but saw Shen Jinghong blocking the door with a sullen face. Seeing that it was Mu Zhuohua, Shen Jinghong also showed a hint of surprise.
"Why are you here?" Shen Jinghong locked his eyes on Mu Zhuohua with a cold look, his voice was slightly hoarse, his handsome face was slightly flushed, and he was a little drunk.
Mu Zhuohua was shocked that Shen Jinghong, a gentleman who claimed to be unmarried, also had such a lustful side, but men are men after all, and not getting married and not visiting prostitutes are two different things. Thinking of this, Mu Zhuohua's awe of Shen Jinghong was reduced a little. She smiled awkwardly and moved towards the door: "I... I can't handle the alcohol, so I thought of finding a place to rest for a while, and I didn't mean to disturb Lord Shen's elegance."
Shen Jinghong looked at Mu Zhuohua: "How much did you hear just now?"
Mu Zhuohua covered his ears and shook his head vigorously: "Don't listen to anything inappropriate, I really didn't hear anything!"
Shen Jinghong seemed to be guessing the truth of Mu Zhuohua's words, but at this moment, the shouts of colleagues came from outside.
"Lord Shen, are you here?"
Shen Jinghong and Mu Zhuohua turned their heads to look outside, only to see an old Hanlin walked to the door and said with a smile: "Miss Yunzhi said you came here, you..."
When the old Hanlin said this, he noticed that Mu Zhuohua was still standing in the room.
"Lord Mu is here too..."
The old Hanlin paused again, his eyes swept over the messy bedding on the bed, over Mu Zhuohua's messy clothes, and unexpectedly saw two ambiguous red marks on Mu Zhuohua's loose collar. His breathing suddenly stagnated, his eyes lit up, and he looked at Shen Jinghong again - his lips were red and moist, and the corners of his eyes were flushed...
He was an experienced person, how could he not know what all this meant?
No wonder... No wonder Shen Jinghong blocked Mu Zhuohua's wine, no wonder the two of them disappeared at the same time, and actually hid here...
The old Hanlin thought he had discovered a huge secret, he smiled obscurely, and said: "You two, hurry up, I'll go back and cover for you first." It was not
until the old Hanlin left that Mu Zhuohua realized what the other party meant.
"He...did he misunderstand something?" Mu Zhuohua looked at Shen Jinghong anxiously, "Explain to me, it was clearly you and Miss Yunzhi just now!"
Shen Jinghong actually smiled when she heard what Mu Zhuohua said, "The innocent are innocent. Besides, the more you explain, the worse it gets."
Shen Jinghong walked out after saying that. Mu Zhuohua hurriedly chased after her, "What should we do? The whole Hanlin Academy will misunderstand this!"
She told Liu Yan last night that she loved him, and today she had a romantic scandal with Shen Jinghong. What would Liu Yan think!
Shen Jinghong smiled: "Why would I care about other people's opinions? You might as well be more open-minded."
"You say that easily!" Mu Zhuohua said unhappily, "There are so many people who admire you, Master Jinghong, they will eat me alive."
Shen Jinghong smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will protect you."
"No, that will make me more hated! Lord Shen!" Mu Zhuohua said resolutely, "Let's cut off our friendship."
Mu Zhuohua gritted his teeth and felt that this little Qin Palace was really incompatible with him, and he would never come again!
When they returned to the banquet that day, everyone looked at them with meaningful ridicule. Mu Zhuohua knew that the old Hanlin must have exaggerated what he saw. She had no way to defend herself and intended to find Miss Yunzhi to explain, but Miss Yunzhi disappeared. Shen Jinghong was not only calm, but also worried about the chaos in the world. He helped her drink and added more dishes to her, which made Mu Zhuohua's temples twitch in anger.
You are such a talented and romantic man, why do you drag me into this?
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