The next morning.
Shen Qingzhuo slowly opened his eyes and felt that he had slept unusually soundly last night and did not wake up even once during the night.
He carefully raised his arms, stretched himself feeling refreshed, and hummed with satisfaction: “Hmm…”
“Master…” His arm was only half extended when a hot hand gripped his wrist, and at the same time, the youth’s low and hoarse voice reached his ears.
“Hiss…” Shen Qingzhuo took a breath. “Xiao Qi, why are your palms so hot?”
“Hmm? Is there?” Xiao Shen loosened his palm and looked at his master with a frown. “Maybe… because I am Master’s hand warmer!”
“Hehe…” Shen Qingzhuo was amused and tapped the youth’s tall nose with his fingertips. “Who taught you to feed Master bewitching medicine so early in the morning ah?”
Xiao Shen came over and rubbed his cheek against his master’s neck and replied with a smile: “I learned it by myself.”
“Alright, Master don’t need a hand warmer these days.” Shen Qingzhuo pushed his face away and sat up. “Wait until winter, and then you will be of use.”
Xiao Shen then raised his upper body and followed his master’s slender back closely, “Then it’s a deal.”
Summer days are long, and the sky is already bright. Shen Qingzhuo puts on the flying fish robe hanging on the rack, sits in front of the bronze mirror, and prepares to comb his hair.
Xiao Shen approached him quietly, picked up the wooden comb on the table, and said softly, “Let me tie your hair, Master.”
Sleeping on the same bed at night, the first person he sees when he wakes up in the morning is his master, and then he ties his hair and puts on his crown. Doesn’t this scene seem like…
A normal couple’s life after marriage?
Thinking of this, the youth couldn’t help but raise the corners of his lips.
“Can you do it?” Shen Qingzhuo looked at his little disciple with suspicion through the bronze mirror.
“Why not?” Xiao Shen responded with a confident look and said with a solemn vow, “I know how to tie my hair already!”
A quarter of an hour later—
Shen Qingzhuo helplessly snatched the hair back from the youth’s hands. “If you keep combing it like this, we won’t be able to do anything today.”
Xiao Shen couldn’t let go of the silky black hair and said in a skillful and coquettish way, “Master, let’s try again!”
Shen Qingzhuo ignored him and ran his fingertips through his hair, tying it up neatly in just a few strokes.
Xiao Shen was pleased enough, so he bent down to pick up the white jade crown and obediently put it on his master.
When he was at home, he liked to keep his hair half-tied or loose, looking lazy and carefree. But if he was out on business, as a Lord Zhenfu, he would tie his hair up and wear a crown, exuding another kind of handsome beauty.
No matter how he does it, it’s extremely beautiful.
Shen Qingzhuo stood up and said, “Come, Master will tie your hair for you today.”
According to the etiquette of Dayong, men who have not yet been crowned do not need to tie their hair up. However, in order to facilitate martial arts practice, his little disciple always ties his hair up in a high ponytail, making him look like a handsome and neat young man.
Xiao Shen obediently sat on the chair, staring at the face reflected in the bronze mirror without blinking, his heart suddenly beating faster.
“Alright, it’s done.” Shen Qingzhuo clapped his hands and took a step back with satisfaction. “Wash up, change clothes, and have breakfast together.”
After saying this, he was the first to step out of the bedroom, while Xiao Shen took the opportunity to return to the bed.
He leaned over and smelled the lingering scent on the bed, raised the corners of his lips with satisfaction, and then pulled out the dudou from the quilt.
Last night he kneeled beside his master, imagining for a long time, but he didn’t dare to do it. In the end, he just secretly stuffed the dudou into the quilt. Sure enough, at this moment, the dudou was also stained with his master’s rich and cold fragrance.
He covered his mouth and nose with the dudou and sniffed it deeply with a fascinated look. Early in the morning, a kind of abnormal heat gathered in his body again.
“Xiao Qi?” His master’s voice suddenly came from the door.
Xiao Shen woke up instantly and stuffed the dudou back under the quilt in a flash. The heat from his body also cooled down rapidly.
It would be bad if his master found out about his behavior…
Fortunately, Shen Qingzhuo didn’t care. He just seriously said, “Someone just reported that something happened in the palace again.”
Xiao Shen’s heart skipped a beat. He pretended to be confused and asked, “What’s the matter? Is it serious?”
Shen Qingzhuo stepped through the threshold and explained succinctly, “Pan Chong, the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, is dead.”
“Ah?” Xiao Shen raised his eyebrows in surprise. “How did he die?”
Shen Qingzhuo closed the door and replied in a low voice, “He was burned to charcoal by someone.”
Xiao Shen was puzzled and asked, “But wasn’t Pan Chong in charge of Dongchang? Who dared to set fire to him?”
Shen Qingzhuo sat down, poured a cup of cool tea, and replied, “I heard that Pan Chong set his eyes on a maid in the Eastern Palace and forcibly took her back. Unexpectedly, the maid resisted to the death and burned down his room.”
“Humph.” Xiao Shen sneered, “Then doesn’t he deserve to die?”
“That’s true, but—the timing is too coincidental.” Shen Qingzhuo picked up the teacup and put it down again. “Pan Chong has harmed many palace maids over the years, but he was still safe and sound. How come he got into trouble when he touched a maid from the Eastern Palace?”
Xiao Shen walked to the table and asked tentatively, “Could it be… that the Crown Prince wants to kill him?”
“This is even more wrong.” Shen Qingzhuo frowned. “The Crown Prince is in a desperate situation right now, and he can’t even protect himself. Why would he want to kill Pan Chong and offend Dongchang and the Ministry of Rites in one fell swoop?”
Xiao Shen sat down slowly. “So, Master, who do you think killed Pan Chong?”
Shen Qingzhuo lightly tapped the tabletop with his knuckles, his brows furrowed, as if he were lost in thought.
He didn’t know that the innocent-looking boy sitting next to him was the real murderer, nor could he see the tension in the youth’s heart.
“Unless…” After a moment, he carefully spoke.
Xiao Shen tightened his hands under the table, and his heart beat rapidly.
He was sure that the whole plan was perfectly linked and foolproof, and no one would ever link this matter to him.
But his master is too smart, too wise, and too careful. What if…
“Unless Pan Chong and Dongchang were already being used by others.” Shen Qingzhuo narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression cold. “So Donggong, must be killed.”
The heart that was in his throat quietly fell to the ground. He simply asked, “Could it be… the Third Prince? Didn’t Master say that the Crown Prince’s biggest competitor is the Third Prince?”
Shen Qingzhuo shook his head: “Not necessarily.”
Xiao Shen: “Why did Master say that?”
“There are only two possibilities. One is that the Eastern Palace wants to get rid of Pan Chong for some reason. The other is that someone killed Pan Chong and then framed the Eastern Palace.” Shen Qingzhuo stood up. “Master cannot make a conclusion for now. The only thing that is certain is that no matter who did it, this matter is a hundred benefits for us, and there’s no harm.”
Hearing this, Xiao Shen smiled slightly, barely perceptibly, but then carefully restrained himself.
This can also be considered as…
His master has approved of him killing Pan Chong, right?
***
“My Lord, Pan Changgong’s body is here.” The coroner in charge of the autopsy at Beizhen Medical Bureau stopped and pointed at the black corpse on the wooden board.
Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly and raised his hands to cover his mouth and nose.
That corpse was completely burned into charcoal, and it was no longer recognizable as a human being. It emitted a pungent smell of burnt flesh and bones.
Although Pan Chong’s death was not a pity considering his level of perversion, the way he died was still too ugly.
“Have you confirmed the identity yet?” Shen Qingzhuo asked.
The coroner replied respectfully: “Answer My Lord, we have confirmed through the teeth and other features that the deceased is indeed Pan Changgong.”
At this time, Kong Baihu1A Hundred Household., who was following behind Lord Zhenfu, said in a cold tone, “Pan Changgong was so majestic when he was alive, but he is completely unrecognizable after his death, tsk, tsk, tsk…”
Jinyiwei and Dongchang have always been at odds. Before Shen Qingzhuo took office, Jinyiwei was often beaten on the head by Dongchang. Now seeing Pan Chong burned to charcoal, Kong Shang couldn’t help but feel gloating.
Shen Qingzhuo glanced at him and reminded him lightly: “Be more restrained.”
Kong Shang immediately said in a serious tone: “Yes, My Lord.”
Shen Qingzhuo suppressed his disgust and took a step forward. After carefully examining the body, he asked, “Have you determined the cause of his death?”
“This…” The coroner couldn’t help but feel embarrassed: “The body was burned to this extent, it’s difficult to check for other injuries.”
Kong Shang interrupted again, “My Lord, isn’t it obvious that he was burned to death? Is there any other hidden secret?”
Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyes and looked into the distance. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he remembered an ancient case that he had seen before.
It is said that a woman had an affair with another man but was unfortunately discovered by her husband. In desperation, the woman and her lover killed him in order to silence him, but they were afraid of being discovered by the government, so they set a fire to create the illusion of her husband’s accidental death and, at the same time, burned her husband’s body into charcoal to prevent the coroner from performing an autopsy.
But the county magistrate who handled the case at that time thought of a way to solve the case. He ordered people to find two pigs, one live and one dead, and put them into a big fire to burn them into charcoal. The final results showed that after a live pig was burned, ashes would remain in its mouth but not in the mouth of a dead pig.
Shen Qingzhuo immediately asked the coroner to examine the mouth of the charred corpse.
As expected, after the coroner’s examination, he found that Pan Chong was killed, and then his body was burned with a huge fire.
Kong Shang looked confused: “My Lord, whether Pan Chong was killed and then burned, or burned to death, the result was still death. What difference does it make?”
“Of course there is a difference.” Shen Qingzhuo smiled slightly. “Kong Shang, have you ever fought with Pan Changgong before he died?”
“Tsk…” Kong Shang replied with disdain, “We have fought before, but how dare I take real action against Pan Changgong?”
The implication is that he is extremely dissatisfied.
Shen Qingzhuo continued to ask, “Then what do you think is the possibility that an ordinary, powerless palace maid could kill Pan Changgong and burn his body without making any noise during the whole process?”
Kong Shang understood instantly: “The other party is not an ordinary maid, but a well-trained killer!”
Shen Qingzhuo nodded slightly: “To achieve silence, the only way is to kill with one cut.”
Kong Shang: “Then… doesn’t this mean that this case is not accidental?”
Shen Qingzhuo shrugged slightly and ordered, “Bring the witness here. I want to interrogate him personally.”
About an incense stick of time later, Pan Dongsheng came in with his waist bent, kneeling down, and saluted, “I am Pan Dongsheng, greeting My Lord.”
After a night of howling, his voice had become completely hoarse. When he spoke, his voice sounded like a broken bellows, which was painful to the ears.
Shen Qingzhuo sat at the desk and said gently, “Eunuch Pan, there is no need to be so polite. Please stand up.”
Pan Dongsheng stood up as he was told, but he still hunched over out of habit and seemed unable to stand straight.
“We called Eunuch Pan here today just for a routine interrogation.” Shen Qingzhuo said calmly, his left hand skimming the foam in the teacup from time to time, “Eunuch Pan, don’t be nervous.”
“Yes, yes, yes…” Pan Dongsheng replied timidly, “The humble will tell everything he knows.”
Shen Qingzhuo glanced at him from the corner of his eye, observing his reaction calmly. “What were you doing when Pan Changgong’s room caught fire?”
“The humble was just chatting with the eunuchs on duty.” Pan Dongsheng looked sad, not pretending, “Suddenly someone shouted that there was a fire in Changgong’s room! The humble immediately rushed to Godfather’s room, but it was too late, the fire was too big…”
Shen Qingzhuo let out an en, “Before this, did you hear any sound coming from the room?”
Pan Dongsheng thought about it and replied, “No.”
“That’s not right.” Shen Qingzhuo said with a half-smile, “I’ve also heard about Pan Changgong’s s*xual habits. Normally, if a woman enters Pan Changgong’s room, her screams would scare a baby to tears. How could there be no movement yesterday?”
As he spoke, his tone became colder and colder.
Pan Dongsheng was so frightened that he trembled and stammered, “The humble drugged that woman in advance…”
Shen Qingzhuo stared at him: “That’s even more wrong. A weak woman who was drugged can actually set fire and escape as soon as she wakes up. Is your drug fake?”
Pan Dongsheng: “This… this humble really has no idea, My Lord! After the humble sent the maid into Godfather’s room, the humble immediately left. As for what happened in the room afterwards, the humble have no idea at all.”
“Oh?” Shen Qingzhuo sipped his tea and said in a neutral tone, “Then tell me what you know. For example, how did you get that person out of the Crown Prince’s mansion in the Eastern Palace?”
Lord Shen’s attitude was quite gentle, and his tone had nothing to do with torture, but Pan Dongsheng was still frightened to the point of breaking out in cold sweats.
Fortunately, he had prepared all his confessions in advance.
Pan Dongsheng: “To answer My Lord’s question, the humble took advantage of the moment when the maid left the Eastern Palace and put her in a sack and brought her back.”
“Sack?” Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly, his tone cold. “In broad daylight, in the open air, you carried a palace maid in a sack and walked back in such a grand manner? You are so brave ah.”
Pan Dongsheng was so frightened that he kneeled on the ground and cried, “My Lord, the humble is of low status and rely on Godfather every day… The humble was also helpless ah!”
“You are helpless, so let’s put it aside for now.” Shen Qingzhuo stood up, walked in front of him, and looked down at him. “What this lord wants to know is, how did you avoid the inspection of the imperial guards?”
This arrogant look almost instantly reminded Pan Dongsheng of the Seventh Prince.
They were clearly two different people, and Lord Shen clearly did not have a knife in his hand and no blood on his face, but the sense of oppression and fear he brought to him was exactly the same.
“Yes, yes…” Pan Dongsheng kept wiping the cold sweat on his face with his sleeve, “It’s Commander Qi of the Imperial Guards…”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingzhuo’s expression changed slightly.
Unexpectedly, this matter was also related to the Empress Dowager’s faction.
***
Inside the Zichen Palace, Emperor Guangxi closed his eyes and meditated as usual.
Shen Qingzhuo explained all the doubts he had found one by one, fearing that the information was too much and would go in Emperor Guangxi’s one ear and out the other. Finally, he concluded his speech considerately, “In summary, the following points can be made clear about this case is—”
“First, Pan Changgong was murdered, and then his body was burned. The murderer was well prepared, and it was not a spur of the moment act. Second, the person who set the fire came from the Eastern Palace and is now missing. The Jinyiwei has been investigating but has no clues. It seems that someone is deliberately covering up her whereabouts. Third, according to the information provided by the Dongchang, a mysterious case file in the Dongchang disappeared at the same time the crime happened.”
After he finished speaking, Emperor Guangxi finally opened his cloudy eyes.
His physical condition was already bad, and his spirit became increasingly weak after he became addicted to alchemy and cultivating immortality. However, the people around him lied with their eyes open and flattered the emperor, saying that his dragon body was getting stronger day by day.
Emperor Guangxi: “Pan Chong was murdered, but the Beizhen Fushi could not catch the murderer. Is this what Shen Qing meant?”
Shen Qingzhuo immediately kneeled on one knee and apologized: “The humble minister is incompetent. But when the minister took over the case, a whole night had already passed and the murderer had already escaped. It is indeed difficult to track them down.”
“Cough, cough…” Emperor Guangxi coughed a few times and then called out, “Su Huai’an.”
Eunuch Su, who was guarding the palace gate, responded, opened the door, and walked in, “Your Majesty.”
“You also heard it, cough cough…” Emperor Guangxi said in a gloomy tone, “Pan Chong was your man, your man was burned to charcoal, but the murderer is nowhere to be found, what do you think?”
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Su knelt on the ground, trembling, and said with tears streaming down his face, “Your Majesty, the old servant has not slept all night and feels very sad!”
Shen Qingzhuo lowered his eyelashes and remained silent.
“Pan Chong is not the old servant’s man, but a servant who works for Your Majesty. Over the years, he has been diligent and has managed the Dongchang properly.” Eunuch Su wiped his eyes and choked. “The old servant has never dreamed that he would end up like this.”
Emperor Guangxi: “Who said it wasn’t? The dignified governor of the Dongchang died at the hands of a little maid. It’s ridiculous!”
Eunuch Su kowtowed and said, “Your Majesty, it’s all the old servant’s fault for not disciplining him strictly.”
Emperor Guangxi took a breath and looked at Shen Qingzhuo, who was kneeling on the ground. “Shen Qing, you said this case can’t be investigated any further?”
Shen Qingzhuo replied cautiously: “There are clues, but it will take some time to follow the clues and find out the mastermind behind the scenes.”
At this time, Eunuch Su spoke for him: “Your Majesty, Lord Shen has always been efficient in handling cases. This matter was indeed well prepared by the villain, and they did it perfectly.”
Emperor Guangxi’s gray face was covered with a layer of gloom. “Currently, all clues point to the Eastern Palace?”
“Yes.” Shen Qingzhuo said with a little hesitation, “If Your Majesty doesn’t want to—”
“Zhen recommends you to be the third-rank commander of the Jinyiwei and concurrently the Beizhen Fushi Envoy.” Emperor Guangxi interrupted him, “Do you have any objection?”
Shen Qingzhuo was stunned for a moment but quickly came to his senses and immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude: “The humble minister will never let Your Majesty’s love down!”
“Investigate!” Emperor Guangxi waved his sleeves and made the final decision, “There may be a bigger conspiracy behind Pan Chong’s death. This case must be investigated thoroughly!”
Shen Qingzhuo: “The minister will obey the command.”
After exiting the inner hall, Shen Qingzhuo was about to leave when he heard Eunuch Su’s voice from behind him: “Lord Shen, please stay.”
Shen Qingzhuo stopped and turned to comfort him, “Eunuch Su, please accept my condolences.”
“Ai…” Eunuch Su sighed, “That boy is just unlucky and has a short life!”
Shen Qingzhuo bowed his hands and said, “It was indeed the work of a villain. Don’t worry, Eunuch Su. I will get to the bottom of this matter and will not let Pan Changgong die in vain.”
Eunuch Su smiled with relief when he heard this and said, “Zanjia has not congratulated Lord Shen on his promotion yet. Now the person His Majesty trusts the most is Lord Shen.”
“I dare not accept it.” Shen Qingzhuo also smiled, “Eunuch Su has been with His Majesty for so many years. When it comes to His Majesty’s trust, no one in the court can compare to Eunuch Su.”
The two of them flattered each other for a while before Shen Qingzhuo bid farewell.
When the case of Concubine Yuan’s assassination was investigated to the Eastern Palace, Emperor Guangxi ordered him to stop. However, once it involved the Dongchang, Emperor Guangxi’s suspicion could no longer be suppressed.
No matter what the truth of the matter is, the other party has handed him a good knife that suits him well.
***
In Changle Palace, Xiao Shen also received the relevant news as soon as possible.
Although there was a small accident in the middle and he discovered that the Qi family was involved, but the general direction of things was still within his expectations and control.
Based on his understanding of his master, he would definitely not involve the Empress Dowager’s faction in Pan Chong’s case at this time.
He temporarily put his mind at ease. After dinner, he lay on the cool jade mat, sniffing the scent left by his master and holding in his hand the dudou that was also stained with the cold fragrance.
After sweating all over, he closed his eyes unconsciously and fell asleep.
But it was completely different from his usual dreams. This time he entered the dream as a bystander.
In the magnificent palace, the wind blowing from all directions fluttered the layers of curtains hanging on the dragon couch, revealing a thin figure among the shadows.
He felt that the figure was very familiar, and he walked forward involuntarily, wanting to take a glimpse of the other party’s appearance.
However, the next moment, he heard heavy footsteps behind him, and he unconsciously stopped.
He was a tall and strong adult man, wearing a black robe with a dragon pattern and a golden crown on his hair. He looked very heroic, but his face was extremely blurry.
He watched the man walk towards the bed and casually lift the fluttering curtains.
His eyes widened immediately. The person tied up on the bed was actually…
Master?
A tight black satin blouse with a wide-open neckline, revealing a delicate and beautiful collarbone. The collarbone and smooth skin were covered with blue and purple marks, like dots of red plums covering the snow, breathtakingly beautiful.
And his favorite pair of snow-white wrists were tied together with a bright red ribbon and hung high on the dragon-carved beam in the hall.
He opened his mouth anxiously, wanting to call “Master”, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make a sound.
So he could only watch helplessly as the man bent down and lifted his master’s chin with his fingertips, revealing his completely flushed and beautiful face.
The man rubbed his master’s moist lips with the tip of his thumb, then used his index finger to pry open the lips, pinched the root of his tongue and gently stirred it, then chuckled and said something he couldn’t hear clearly.
He only saw his master frowning, and suddenly he turned his face away and struggled.
“Get out! Don’t touch my master!” The youth was both anxious and angry, shouting in his heart, trying with all his strength to move his feet that were nailed to the spot to rush up to rescue his master.
That man ignored him, slid his big hand under the silky silk, and with his other hand he easily lifted his master onto his body.
The sound of “ding-ding-dang-dang” rang out. His master sat on the man’s waist, facing him. His snow-white and slender body was blocked by the man’s broad shoulders. The only thing that was facing him was the pale, fragile ankle with the glittering, beautiful golden anklets tied into them. It swayed gently with the man’s movements, making a crisp and pleasant sound…
The youth stood there as if petrified.
Until his master, who was in the man’s arms, raised his face, looked at him with his steamy peach blossom eyes, and called out in a sobbing voice, “Xiao Qi…”
“Master… Master!” A scream finally broke out, and Xiao Shen suddenly opened his eyes.
“Woosh…” The breath that was trapped in his chest slowly came out. He lay on the bed, gasping for breath, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if he had not yet completely escaped from the gorgeous and absurd dream.
How could he… have such a dream?
The scene in the dream was so real, it was as if it had really happened. But his master, who was in the dream, looked unfamiliar to him, and who was the man whose face he could not see clearly?
Xiao Shen suddenly jumped up from the bed, and his handsome face, which was covered with sweat, quickly became gloomy.
Dream, it’s just a dream, it doesn’t count.
He would never allow anyone to see his master in that state, let alone touch or do that to him…
No matter who that man is, anyone who dares to touch his master will have only one fate: being skinned alive and chopped into pieces!
The author has something to say:
The Little Wolf Cub: I can’t bear it any longer. I finally had a detailed dream, but I’m not the protagonist?
Shen Qingzhuo: ……
T/N: Oops🤭Are they the origin XS and SQZ? Not gonna lie, I would love to read some of their chapters as well… Also, what those of lower status refer to themselves when they talk isn’t ‘humble’, but sth that ‘lowly’, I think it’s not quite nice :3 that’s why I go with thea humble.
