Shen Qingzhuo used to be alone and was used to keeping a distance from everyone. After entering this world, except for his clingy little disciple, who rubbed and hugged him daily, he had never had any close contact with other people.
Therefore, the current posture was obviously beyond his ability to cope with. He was stunned for a moment as he lay on his little disciple’s strong chest.
The youth beneath him uttered an unbearable groan, “Master…”
His lips were pressed tightly against his adam apple. His larynx vibrated slightly when he spoke, and his lips seemed to be paralyzed by the vibration.
Shen Qingzhuo opened his lips subconsciously, and the warm and moist breath brushed across his fragile adam apple. The youth tilted his slender neck even higher and swallowed heavily…
Shen Qingzhuo blinked his eyelashes and came back to his senses abruptly. He held the bed with both hands and tried to get up, but he was unexpectedly pressed down on the back of his neck by a hand.
“Don’t move…” The youth’s clear voice became low and hoarse, with a hint of inexplicable danger: “It’s uncomfortable… so hot…”
“Wait a minute—” Like a kitten being pinched by the neck, the slender back of his neck was firmly held by the hot palm. Shen Qingzhuo struggled unconsciously, “Xiao Qi, be good, let Master go first, Master wants to find a way… ah!”
The pleasant ending sound trembled and floated in the hot air. The youth, who was scalding hot, actually pressed his waist hard…
“Xiao Xiao Qi1The first Xiao was his surname, the second Xiao means little, just in case you guys are wondering why there’s a double Xiao xD!” Shen Qingzhuo was petrified for a moment, then became furious and used all his strength to push away the youth who had trapped him.
As if he had been infected by drugs by his little disciple, his beautiful face flushed. He said in an unsteady voice, “Xiao Xiao Qi, you are getting bolder, aren’t you?”
How dare you do this to Master…
This strange action is simply disrespectful to elders!
“Mmm…” But the youth on the bed was unconscious and could not accept his scolding. He tore off his clothes and rolled over in pain. “Master… Master, save me…”
Shen Qingzhuo exhaled slowly and told himself not to be angry. His disciple had been drugged and was not conscious. Don’t bother with him. Don’t bother with him…
“Don’t be afraid, Master will think of a solution.” Shen Qingzhuo regained his composure and immediately called the system in his mind, “007, emergency!”
The best solution is of course to ask the imperial physician to come for a consultation, but he won’t be able to explain the whole story clearly by doing so, and it will only cause trouble.
System: [What happened?]
Shen Qingzhuo: “Well, can you help me check if I’ve been drugged by something similar to an aphrodisiac, how can I relieve it?”
System: [……]
Shen Qingzhuo: “Hurry up.”
System: [Who was drugged?]
Shen Qingzhuo: “It’s not me anyway, who do you think it is?”
System: [According to the search, the best way to relieve the symptoms is to release the drug as quickly as possible.]
Shen Qingzhuo: “Explain it more clearly.”
System: [***************]
Shen Qingzhuo: “……”
He looked at his little disciple rolling on the bed with helplessness. Did he really have to find a random palace maid to help his little disciple relieve the effect of the drug?
No, this would be disrespectful to both the maid and his little disciple. Besides, this is his disciple’s precious first time, so he should be sober and with the person he loves, right?
If he really did this, his little disciple would definitely blame him when he woke up.
After some thought, Shen Qingzhuo asked, “Is there any other solution? A gentler solution that doesn’t require mosaics.”
The system was silent for a moment, then replied: [Induce vomiting, feed cold water to dilute the drug concentration, and exercise vigorously to accelerate drug metabolism.]
“Fine, I’ll try it first.” Shen Qingzhuo had a plan in mind and immediately asked the eunuch to bring a basin of cold water mixed with ice cubes.
The young eunuch moved quickly and came in with a basin of cold water, “Young Master Shen.”
Shen Qingzhuo twisted a damp and cold towel half-knelt beside the bed and whispered a warning in advance: “If you lay hands on Master again, Master will throw you out. Do you hear?”
The youth looked at him with hazy eyes. He seemed to understand in his drowsy state and said in a very aggrieved tone, “Master…”
“Be a good boy.” Shen Qingzhuo bent down and carefully wiped the sweat beads on his forehead to cool down his little disciple.
As expected, his confused little disciple was extremely craving for that touch of coolness. His little face involuntarily followed the source of the coldness, and a vague yet comfortable hum came from his throat.
“Xiao Dengzi, bring the cold tea over here.” Shen Qingzhuo held down the twisting boy, wiped him twice with a cold towel, then turned around and instructed the eunuch beside him.
“Yes, Young Master.” Xiao Dengzi hurriedly handed the teacup forward.
Shen Qingzhuo sat on the bed, let his little disciple lean on his arms, and carefully fed him cold tea.
But Xiao Shen drank too quickly. He drank half a cup of tea, and the other half spilled into his hands. He kept asking for more tea even after the cup was finished.
“No more. Master will pour you another cup.” Shen Qingzhuo coaxed patiently, but who knew that his little disciple actually came forward and licked the water on his hand with the tip of his tongue?
The tip of the tongue was warm, soft, hot, and wet. It licked the skin on his hand like a puppy drinking water. A tingling electric current ran across his back. Shen Qingzhuo couldn’t help but laugh and retracted his hands to avoid him. “It’s so itchy, Xiao Qi, be good, stop licking…”
“I want…” Xiao Shen didn’t listen. He chased after his hand and took a deep breath at the injured knuckles. Then he lay back in his arms, mumbling, “I want water… and… I want Master…”
“Hiss…” Shen Qingzhuo’s waist went limp due to the sucking, and he was almost pressed down onto the bedding by his little disciple.
After struggling for a long time and drinking several cups of cold tea, Xiao Shen finally calmed down.
Shen Qingzhuo let out a long sigh, only then did he realized that he was sweating profusely and his clothes were soaked.
He stood up and took off his coat, but he didn’t know that the youth on the bed quietly opened his eyelashes and looked at him with a sly smile in his eyes.
The cup of tea he drank in Zuixiang Fang was indeed problematic, but his endurance and resistance were much stronger than those of ordinary people, and that little bit of tea would not cause him to lose his mind.
“Xiao Qi?” Shen Qingzhuo seemed to have sensed something and suddenly turned around. “Are you awake?”
Xiao Shen instantly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
He had tested his master’s bottom line enough today. If his master found out that he was awake now, it would be over.
However, his master’s lips were more fragrant and softer than he had imagined, and his neck was also more tender than he had imagined…
***
The next day, before Shen Qingzhuo had time to organize the evidence and report to Emperor Guangxi, he heard that an abandoned cold palace had caught fire and a charred corpse was found at the scene.
Upon hearing the news, he had an idea and immediately ordered the coroner to go to the fire scene to examine the body.
This fire was not as big as the one that caused Pan Chong’s death, so the autopsy was less difficult for the coroner. Through the teeth, bones, hair, and scalp that had not been completely burned and the clothes left at the scene, it was initially determined that the deceased was a woman about 18 or 19 years old.
Lord Shen ordered the coroner to conduct a further autopsy, which confirmed that the female corpse was indeed burned to death in the fire and was not cremated after death.
From the remains at the scene, it was discovered that the woman must have lived here for a few days already. All daily necessities were available, and some leftover food was also found.
But what caused the fire? Why didn’t the woman escape? Could she be Lu Mei, the maidservant in the Eastern Palace that the Jinyiwei had desperately been searching for?
The weather was hot, and the whole house was filled with a burning smell. Shen Qingzhuo covered his mouth and nose and carefully searched for clues in the ruins, not missing any details.
In the evening, Lord Shen was reviewing the case at the Beizhen Fushi when he suddenly heard a report from the Jinyiwei that someone was trying to provide clues about the fire in the cold palace.
Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyes: “Let him in.”
The young eunuch kowtowed and greeted after entering the room, “Lord Shen.”
Shen Qingzhuo sat at the desk and asked, “Which palace are you from? What’s your name?”
“In reply to My Lord, the humble servant’s name is Xiao Zhuozi, and he is from Consort Ning’s palace.” Xiao Zhuozi replied.
“Consort Ning?” Shen Qingzhuo raised his eyebrows and asked, “What clues do you want to provide?”
“Yesterday, when the servant passed by the abandoned cold palace, the servant met Lu Zhu, a maid from the Eastern Palace.” Xiao Zhuozi spoke calmly and logically. “Lu Zhu was carrying a food box in her hand and was in a hurry. When she saw the servant, she dodged in panic. The servant thought it was a bit strange at the time.”
Shen Qingzhuo: “Why did you pass by the cold palace?”
Xiao Zhuozi was well prepared and replied, “That cold palace is in the same direction as the Yongchun Palace. Sometimes when the servant is in a hurry and wants to take a shortcut, the servant will bypass that cold palace.”
Shen Qingzhuo lowered his eyes slightly and asked slowly, “This is a serious matter. Can you be responsible for every word you say?”
Xiao Zhuozi kowtowed and said, “My Lord is wise. Every word the servant said is what he saw with his own eyes.”
Shen Qingzhuo chuckled: “Then let me ask you, why did you think of reporting to this lord first? Who taught you to do that?”
Xiao Zhuozi felt a chill on his back, and he replied with a stiff face, “No one taught the servant to do this, but the servant remembered what he saw yesterday and was afraid that it might be related to the fire in the cold palace, so the servant dared not not report it.”
Shen Qingzhuo looked at him quietly with his eyes lowered. Xiao Zhuozi broke out in a cold sweat, but he didn’t dare to raise his hand to wipe it off.
“You retreat first.” After a while, Lord Shen waved his hand, “If there’s any other questions, this lord will call you again.”
Xiao Zhuozi heaved a sigh of relief. “Yes, My Lord.”
After the young eunuch left, Kong Shang, who was waiting on the side, could not help but ask, “My Lord, can we be sure now that the charred corpse is Lu Mei?”
Shen Qingzhuo remained silent.
The fire, the charred female corpse, and the young eunuch who met the maid of the Eastern Palace—all the evidence pointing to the Eastern Palace—it was too coincidental.
All the coincidences accumulated together actually give off a sense of deliberateness.
“My Lord?” Seeing that the lord did not respond, Kong Shang called out again, “What should we do next?”
“Quickly go to the Eastern Palace and bring Lu Zhu back to Beizhen Fushi first.” Shen Qingzhuo tapped the table with his fingertips, took off the golden waist badge hanging around his waist, and threw it to Kong Qianhu. “If the Eastern Palace blocks you, just show this waist tablet.”
Kong Shang: “Yes, My Lord!”
However, Kong Shang brought back bad news. When the Jinyiwei broke into the Eastern Palace, they found that Lu Zhu had committed suicide out of fear of crime.
Shen Qingzhuo “tsk” and said, “What’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s reaction?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince was not in the Eastern Palace.” Kong Shang took off his tablet and returned it to Lord Shen. “But Junior Preceptor Pei has a very ugly expression on his face.”
“Committed suicide out of fear of crime?” Shen Qingzhuo sneered, “One committed suicide out of fear of crime, and another died without any evidence ah.”
Kong Shang: “Lu Zhu’s body has been transported back to Beizhen Fushi. Does My Lord want to go and investigate?”
Shen Qingzhuo waved his hands, “No need to look, get ready, I’m going to see His Majesty.”
Half an hour later, Shen Qingzhuo stood outside the door of Zichen Palce, waiting for the summons from Emperor Guangxi.
Eunuch Su came out from the inner hall and reminded softly, “Lord Shen, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Seventh Prince are also inside.”
“Eunuch Su.” Shen Qingzhuo nodded and asked calmly, “Is it His Majesty who summoned them?”
“His Highness the Seventh Prince took the initiative to pay his respects to His Majesty, and His Highness the Crown Prince was summoned.” Eunuch Su stepped aside. “Please come in, Lord Shen.”
Shen Qingzhuo temporarily suppressed his doubts. As soon as he stepped into the palace, he saw the Seventh Prince kneeling in front of the dragon bed, while the Crown Prince was kneeling a little further away.
“The minister pays his respects to Your Majesty.” Shen Qingzhuo kneeled down to pay his respects and then saluted the two princes, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Seventh Prince.”
“Get up.” Emperor Guangxi’s tone sounded rather tired. “It’s really lively here today. Shen Qing has also come.”
Shen Qingzhuo smiled and said, “If Your Majesty doesn’t like the hustle and bustle, the minister will come back later.”
“Why wouldn’t Zhen like the hustle and bustle?” Emperor Guangxi seemed to be a little interested. “Since you joined the Jinyiwei, you haven’t seen Lao Qi for a while already, right?”
Hearing this, Xiao Shen raised his eyes and glanced at Lord Shen, then couldn’t help frowning. His expression seemed cold and disdainful, but his gloomy eyes were real.
Last night, he dreamed of his master entangled with that strange man whose face he could not see clearly again.
That man held his master in his arms from behind, biting the slender white neck with his sharp teeth. After biting, he licked it with the tip of his tongue as if reluctant, and then bit it hard again, torturing him repeatedly. From his master’s mouth, a sweet and seductive sound like a kitten came out…
Shen Qingzhuo and his little disciple looked at each other, their hearts shuddering, then they moved away as if nothing had happened.
“In reply to Your Majesty, the minister has been busy with official duties recently and indeed neglected His Highness the Seventh Prince.” Shen Qingzhuo replied in a serious tone, “But His Highness the Seventh Prince is very talented and has made great achievements. The minister can no longer teach him more.”
“Master is too modest.” Xiao Shen smiled and replied in a sinister tone, “Master is very knowledgeable and well-versed. This highness still has a lot to learn from you.”
The author has something to say:
The Master: Hmm? What else do you want to learn from me?
The Wolf Cub: There are a lot ah, such as the mosaic part added by the system?
T/N: I almost forget there’s system in this novel lol :3
