Junior Preceptor Pei is a humble gentleman who has always been self-disciplined and polite. Today, he made an exception and grabbed Lord Shen’s arm. It was an act of helplessness under urgent circumstances.
This rebuke was like a wake-up call. He could not help but lower his head in embarrassment and said, “Sorry, it was Pei who lost his temper.”
In just a few words, the Seventh Prince rushed over from a dozen steps away and inserted himself between the two people.
“What do you want to do?” The furious youth howled at Junior Preceptor Pei with his teeth and claws bared, like a wolf cub protecting its food.
“Your Highness the Seventh Prince.” Pei Yanqi’s expression returned to normal, and he bowed and said, “This is a private matter between Pei and Lord Shen.”
The implication is that you, the Seventh Prince, have no right to interfere.
Upon hearing this, a sharp and intense murderous aura flashed across his dark eyes. Xiao Shen was about to speak when he heard a clear and cold voice behind him: “Your Highness.”
The darkness in his eyes faded away instantly. He turned around and said in a bad tone, “Master Shen, how come this highness has never heard that you have any private relationship with Junior Preceptor Pei of the Eastern Palace?”
He deliberately emphasized the words “Eastern Palace” and “Junior Preceptor Pei” so that people could understand the hidden meaning of his words at once.
Shen Qingzhuo choked up and replied, “Your Highness may—”
“Your Highness the Seventh Prince may not know that before Lord Shen became Your Highness’s master, he lived in the Eastern Palace for three years.” Pei Yanqi smiled faintly and explained on behalf of Lord Shen in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
This is obviously something that everyone in the palace knows, but Junior Preceptor Pei chose to point it out on purpose.
Sure enough, the next moment, the Seventh Prince’s handsome face suddenly turned gloomy.
Kong Qianhu, who was watching from the side, silently wiped the sweat from his forehead. What was going on? Why did he feel that the atmosphere was inexplicably murderous?
The Seventh Prince’s ever-changing attitude towards Lord Shen has completely confused him…
“So, Master Shen really has a private relationship with Junior Preceptor Pei?” Xiao Shen’s voice sounded like it came from an ice cellar under the scorching sun. “Could it be that Master Shen’s… heart is in Cao’s camp, but his body is in Han1(of one’s attitude) standing on one side but long for another’s.?”
Shen Qingzhuo: “……”
In front of outsiders, he couldn’t bring down his little disciple’s prestige, so he lowered his eyelashes and replied softly, “Your Highness, Junior Preceptor Pei and I are just acquaintances, and I am ready to leave now.”
Hearing this, a tiny crack appeared under Pei Yanqi’s calm mask, but he did not speak out to object again.
“That’s great.” Xiao Shen smiled sinisterly, his tone full of warning, “Since Master Shen has become this highness’s master, it’s best to behave yourself, remember your duties, and avoid associating with those questionable people.”
These words hit two people at the same time.
Shen Qingzhuo pursed his lips and continued to give his little disciple enough face: “Your Highness, please be at ease.”
Xiao Shen stared at him for several seconds with a gloomy expression, then snorted coldly and walked away.
Junior Preceptor Pei was so perceptive that he could not see that the Seventh Prince was deliberately making things difficult for him. He apologized sincerely, “Sorry, Lord Shen. Pei apologize for causing you trouble.”
“Junior Preceptor Pei is too polite.” Shen Qingzhuo looked at the side and said, “I will go ahead first. Junior Preceptor Pei, please do as you please.”
After saying that, he didn’t give him a chance to stop him and just walked forward.
“Shen…” Pei Yanqi stood where he was and did not chase after him. Instead, he slowly swallowed the remaining words in his mouth.
“This humble will take his leaves first.” Kong Shang also bowed and took his leave, then took big strides and hurriedly followed the back of his lord.
***
Beizhen Fushi, Imperial Prison.
The hot summer did not reach the prison. The prison cells were still dark and damp, with rats and insects running around, and filled with cold air.
Shen Qingzhuo walked through the narrow passage slowly. When the prisoners on both sides of the cell saw him, they shouted out their injustice: “My Lord! Lord Shen, I am innocent ah!”
Lord Shen turned a deaf ear and walked to a cell and stopped.
The person imprisoned in this cell was Yang Wenwang, the grand scholar who clamored to see the Emperor when he first set foot in the prison.
Yang Wenwang was originally the minister of The Ministry of Rites and is a grand secretary. Before the case of the minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lian Zhong’s favoritism and fraud in the imperial examination, he was accused of “forming cliques and disrupting the government” and was imprisoned. In prison, he kept shouting “injustice”.
“My Lord, the subordinate will bring the person out right away.” Wei Changping took off the key hanging on his waist, opened the prison door, and walked in.
Yang Wenwang was lying on a straw mat, his life or death was unknown. Wei Changping called out twice but got no response, so he pulled out the whip wrapped around his waist and hit him with a “snap”.
“Ouch…” Yang Wenwang’s body twitched involuntarily, and a cry as light as that of a mosquito came out of his mouth.
After being imprisoned for more than four months, this grand secretary who once participated in government affairs was now torn and half dead, he was only holding on to his last breath.
Although Yang Wenwang was a civil service official, but he was tougher than most military generals. He was severely tortured in prison for four months and refused to plead guilty.
However, there was also a reason why Lord Shen secretly let him off the hook. As long as others were in prison, the Jinyiwei would restrain their methods of torture. As everyone knew, Lord Shen did not like blood, and he did not like the prisoners in prison howling like ghosts and wolves, which was like purgatory on earth.
“Wei Qianhu.” Shen Qingzhuo spoke up to stop him, “I have something important to ask him. Don’t kill him.”
“Yes, My Lord.” Wei Changping put away the whip and ordered the Jinyiwei on his left and right to carry Yang Wenwang out.
Now, no one in the Beizhen Fushi dared to look down on this frail Lord Zhenfu, including Wei Changping. Even though he still had a lot of dissatisfaction in his heart, but he remained respectful on the surface.
Lord Shen’s methods were indeed amazing.
A moment later, Yang Wenwang was forcibly awakened by the Jinyiwei and tied tightly to a chair.
“Back when this lord’s first day in prison, and you said you have been wronged.” Shen Qingzhuo stood with his hands behind his back and said, “I will give you this opportunity today to redress your grievances.”
Yang Wenwang had his head droop, but he raised it with difficulty after hearing the words. His lifeless eyes looked at him through his messy hair. His dry lips moved and he uttered inaudible words.
Shen Qingzhuo had already dismissed the Jinyiwei on both sides. He had no choice but to turn around, take a cup of tea, walk up to Minister Yang, and feed him with his own hands.
“Minister Yang, drink slowly.” Shen Qingzhuo fed him and whispered softly, “If your grievances are redressed, you will be able to drink any good tea in the future.”
After finishing the cup of tea, he took back the cup and threw it back on the table. “Alright, you can talk now.”
Yang Wenwang panted intermittently, as if he were gathering strength. After a long while, he spoke again: “You… what do you have…”
“You ask me, what qualifications do I have?” Shen Qingzhuo smiled and said slowly, “You are in Beizhen Fushi Prison. The only person who is willing to listen to your explanation of grievances is me.”
Yang Wenwang stared at him intently, his voice like a leaky bellows: “His Majesty… I want to see His Majesty…”
“Face the reality, Grand Secretary Yang. His Majesty will never see you again.” Shen Qingzhuo sighed. “You only have one chance. If you don’t say what you have to say today, you will die in this hell within half a month, and your body will be completely eaten by rats.”
Yang Wenwang’s face showed fear and hatred, and he let out an unclear scream.
“Well, let me make a guess first.” Shen Qingzhuo put his hands on his chest. “The injustice you want to express, is it related to the Cabinet’s Deputy Minister, Cao Ren?”
Yang Wenwang was stunned and asked doubtfully, “You… you, you… what do you know?”
“I also guess that it is not only related to the Deputy Minister of the Cabinet but also to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.” Shen Qingzhuo restrained his smile and looked at him coldly. “Grand Secretary Yang, is that right?”
At this moment, Yang Wenwang seemed to have a last breath of life. He struggled and bounced violently on the chair and continued to speak unsteadily: “It’s snowing in June. I-I have a huge injustice… I will not… die-die in vain… Can you… Do you dare…?”
Shen Qingzhuo knew what Minister Yang was asking. He nodded slightly and replied firmly, “I can do it. I dare to do it.”
“Alright, alright…” Yang Wenwang collapsed back into the chair, breathing heavily.
God has eyes, and after enduring four months of inhuman torture, he finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for!
***
At dusk, the sky was about to get dark, and everything was hazy.
Shen Qingzhuo walked alone on the palace road, his brain kept spinning at high speed.
Unconsciously, he was getting closer and closer to Jiuyue Pavilion, and he suddenly noticed that there was someone behind him.
“Secret guard?” He paused and called out tentatively.
“Yes, Master.” Along with a low and cold voice, a secret guard in black appeared in front of him.
“In the future, if it’s not dark, you don’t have to come pick me up.” Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve walked this road countless times. It’s very safe.”
The secret guard didn’t respond, but his nose twitched slightly. “Has My Lord been to the imperial prison?”
“Why, did you smell the blood?” Shen Qingzhuo lowered his head and sniffed the smell on his body. “Indeed.”
The unique smell of blood and death in imperial prison will inevitably contaminate you once you enter.
Shen Qingzhuo lowered his sleeves. “Does it bring back bad memories for you?”
The guard shook his head. “No.”
“By the way, you should give yourself a name. I can’t always call you secret guard.” Shen Qingzhuo started again, “Everyone has a name.”
The secret guard was silent for a while, then replied in a low voice, “I have never been to school, so I don’t know how to name something. Master, please help me name it.”
“Ah… Is that so?” Shen Qingzhuo seemed to be thinking about something. “Alright, I’ll tell you when I think of your name.”
“Yes, Master.” The secret guard responded and followed his master silently.
After returning to Jiuyue Pavilion, Shen Qingzhuo immediately ordered someone to fetch warm water for him to take a bath and change clothes.
After stepping out of the bathtub and putting on a white silk undergarment, he heard a familiar voice coming from outside the palace door: “Master, Master! Master, where are you!”
It was a series of calls, as if impatient.
Shen Qingzhuo quickly straightened his collar and shouted, “Come in.”
The palace door was pushed open from the outside, and Xiao Shen stepped into the inner hall with sweat all over his head. His eyes stopped on his master, and his rapid breathing suddenly stopped.
Shen Qingzhuo frowned slightly. “Why are you so anxious?”
“Nothing…” Xiao Shen denied and took two steps inside, “I just guessed that Master should be back.”
“Is that all?” Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but give his little disciple a blank look. “Look at your fiery eyebrows, I thought something big had happened.”
Xiao Shen blinked his eyes and muttered, “Come and see Master is a big deal ah…”
Shen Qingzhuo made a light “tsk” sound, took a white towel from the shelf and wiped the ends of his hair that were wet with water.
“Let me wipe it for Master!” Xiao Shen volunteered and raised his hand. Without waiting for his consent, he pulled him to sit on the bed and said, “Just take a rest, Master.”
Shen Qingzhuo did not resist but just glanced to the side and said, “Be attentive to nothing. Say it, what do you want to ask of Master?”
“Where?” The youth’s eyes widened, and he retorted, “Do I need a reason to be attentive to Master?”
“Ha…” Shen Qingzhuo gave a fake smile and brought up the past: “I haven’t forgotten how you insulted Master in front of His Majesty yet.”
“I wasn’t…” Xiao Shen was frightened, trying to get away with it. “I was just acting in front of them, didn’t Master know my true feelings?”
Shen Qingzhuo sneered: “I don’t know, your acting skills are getting better and better, you almost fooled Master.”
Xiao Shen froze while wiping his hair, then he said sweetly, “A good master produces good students, it’s all because of Master’s good teaching.”
Shen Qingzhuo rested his hands on the bed, smiled with closed eyes, and did not comment.
“Speaking of this, Master…” Xiao carefully considered his words and asked hesitantly, “What is the relationship between Master and Pei Yanqi…”
Shen Qingzhuo opened his eyes, “What do you think?”
Xiao Shen lowered his long and thick eyelashes. “I don’t know.”
“Behave yourself and remember your duty.” Shen Qingzhuo glanced at his little disciple with a smile and deliberately repeated his words, “If Master really has a private relationship with Junior Preceptor Pei, what will you do?”
The youth’s delicate adam apple swallowed up and down. His slender, jade-like hand grasped a tuft of hair and asked softly, “What kind of private relationship?”
Unexpectedly, he would really ask further. Shen Qingzhuo answered casually, “It doesn’t matter which one.”
In fact, he was sure that with Junior Preceptor Pei and the original owner’s personalities, it was impossible for the two of them to have any affair beyond the normal scope.
After all, this is not a gay love novel.
Xiao Shen tightened his hand and pulled the black hair that was as black as clouds.
“Ah…” Shen Qingzhuo was caught off guard and subconsciously raised his jaw to reduce the pulling of his hair. “Stupid disciple, you are pulling Master’s hair.”
The youth behind him had a gloomy look in his eyes, but his tone was as if he were acting coquettishly: “You can’t. Only me, Master can only like me…”
If his master had an affair with someone, he would first skin and pull out that person’s tendons, then lock his master up, hide, and bite him in his mouth. From then on, he will be alone with him day and night.
The author has something to say:
The Master: This is a court power struggle, not a gay novel.
The Wolf Cub: En, en, this is BL literature…
[What to do if the top and bottom get different scripts?]
