Chapter 55 Confession Confession
Qiu Shuzhi approached her, brushed aside the hair covering her shoulder blades, and her fingertips inadvertently grazed her shoulder. Jiang Si’s whole body trembled.
“Is the Young Lady very nervous?” Qiu Shuzhi asked, her gentle voice right next to her ear.
Jiang Si clutched the front of her clothes tightly, her voice casual: “This Young Lady is not nervous, just that it’s the first time taking off clothes and being examined in front of a woman, I’m a bit uncomfortable.”
Qiu Shuzhi lowered her head and smiled: “Forced by circumstances, I hope the Young Lady doesn’t hold a grudge against this humble official.”
Jiang Si bit her lip and let out a low “mm” sound.
She brushed aside the wet long hair, revealing Jiang Si’s round shoulders. Water droplets slid down from the butterfly bones of her smooth skin, as fine and delicate as the highest quality white jade.
Indeed, there wasn’t a single scar.
“Excuse me.” Qiu Shuzhi pulled up the elaborately embroidered outer coat, covering her exposed back.
Even after Qiu Shuzhi left, Jiang Si still tightly clutched the front of her clothes, seemingly not having recovered yet.
A Mian walked in, nervously glanced around, and pulled the curtain tight.
“Young Lady, she—”
Jiang Si pressed her fingertip to her lips, gesturing for him not to speak, wary of eavesdroppers.
A Mian nodded, carefully pulled down Jiang Si’s clothes, and at her shoulder blade, where Qiu Shuzhi had just inspected without doubt, peeled off a piece of skin as thin as a cicada’s wing.
With the skin peeled off, an obvious sword wound was exposed. Even though it had been treated with medicine, the flesh and bone could still be clearly seen.
Looking at this wound, A Mian’s heart turned cold. It seemed that not everyone around this dog emperor was incompetent. If they couldn’t complete the task, the Young Lady would likely suffer again.
“Where’s the poison slave?” Jiang Si asked softly.
“Don’t worry, Young Lady. The hook has been set out, just waiting for those people to take the bait.”
The inspection alarmed everyone in the hunting grounds, yet failed to find the assassin. For a time, people in the grounds were in a state of panic.
Could the assassin be among the male companions? Qiu Shuzhi had some doubts.
News of the assassin quickly reached the ears of the young emperor. The main tent, which had already settled down, suddenly lit up with lights. Yu Zhi, the gentleman attending to Yue Shen, hurriedly asked her to go and report to the emperor.
As soon as Qiu Shuzhi entered the main tent, she saw not a deep-faced Yue Shen, but a screen behind her painted with a landscape scene, complementing her attire.
“You say you encountered an assassin?” Yue Shen’s voice was low.
“Yes.”
“Have you caught the assassin?”
Qiu Shuzhi was silent for a moment: “In response to Your Majesty, the assassin has not been caught yet. I have already sent people to investigate one by one.”
The young emperor’s gaze suddenly became sharp: “You encountered an assassin but couldn’t apprehend her, and instead let her escape? Such a high-profile search, aren’t you just forcing the assassin to take desperate measures and attempt an assassination directly?”
Qiu Shuzhi hurriedly knelt on one knee: “In response to Your Majesty, I have already dispatched the Yulin Army to surround the main tent front and back, making it watertight. Even if the assassin had extraordinary skills, she absolutely couldn’t get in.”
Yue Shen coldly snorted, unimpressed: “It better be so.”
From behind the elegant and luxurious lightly carved screen came the sound of rustling clothes. Qin Zhengya slowly walked out from behind. His clothes were somewhat disheveled, and his long hair was casually tied up in a bun, his watery eyes moist and slightly red.
He sat down gracefully beside Yue Shen and slowly said: “Your Majesty, don’t be hasty. We have already discovered the assassin and sealed off the entire hunting grounds. The assassin surely cannot escape even if she grows wings.”
Yue Shen’s eyes moved slightly, flashing a barely perceptible disgust, and then faintly responded with a sound.
Whether it was Qiu Shuzhi’s imagination or not, she always felt that the atmosphere between the emperor and her consort had eased somewhat, and Yue Shen’s attitude had improved a few degrees.
Qin Zhengya smiled with lowered brows, but when his gaze swept over the wound on Qiu Shuzhi’s arm, the smile instantly disappeared.
“Was Official Qiu injured while fighting with the assassin?” he asked with concern in his voice, his slender jade fingers hidden in his sleeves almost twisted into a knot.
“It’s just her incompetence, not only did she fail to catch the assassin, but she also got herself hurt… How serious is the injury?” Yue Shen pretended not to care, but still couldn’t help revealing her emotions at the last moment.
“It’s just a small wound, nothing serious.”
Qin Zhengya turned to Yue Shen and said: “Official Qiu is after all the one who discovered the assassin. She has rendered meritorious service in protecting Your Majesty. We must reward her well.”
This suited Yue Shen’s intentions perfectly.
She pretended to be troubled and hesitated for a while: “…Alright, when we return to the capital, I will naturally reward her.”
“Official Qiu, don’t kneel on the ground anymore. You are now a meritorious official,” Qin Zhengya smiled gently, his clear eyes seemingly overflowing with light, infinitely gentle.
Qiu Shuzhi didn’t feel she had done anything particularly meritorious, just doing her duty. Besides, as long as the assassin wasn’t caught, she couldn’t be at ease.
“Assassin! Catch the assassin!”
Suddenly, chaos erupted outside the tent. A group of people were shouting loudly, seemingly having discovered the assassin’s whereabouts.
Qiu Shuzhi drew her sword, lifted the curtain, and saw in the night a blue-clad palace servant who had wounded several officials and soldiers with hidden weapons, stolen a horse, and was fleeing towards the dense forest.
She had no time to think and rushed out.
“Official Qiu—” Qin Zhengya worriedly watched her vanishing silhouette, the handkerchief in his hand so tight it was almost torn.
She didn’t hear Qin Zhengya’s call at all, randomly mounted a horse and gave chase.
After she had ridden far away, the well-equipped Imperial Guards swarmed in. Yue Guanyi’s cold eyes swept over them, his tone icy and merciless: “You’re all useless!”
Having said that, he mounted a horse himself and charged out like lightning.
“A bunch of fools, hurry up and chase after them!” Chang’an angrily said.
By this time, Qiu Shuzhi had already chased the assassin far away. In the dense forest, under the night sky, dark clouds obscured everything. Only the sound of hooves could be heard, with no sight of people.
After passing through the dense forest, the assassin quickly disappeared from view, and only a faint sound of flowing water could be heard.
She followed the sound, and a deep, bottomless pool of water exuded a chilling air. The moon shone through the dense forest onto the lake surface, coating the rippling water with a layer of cold moonlight.
“Be careful—”
The calm lake water suddenly surged violently, a figure suddenly leapt out of the water, and hidden weapons rained down on her like pear blossoms in a storm.
Qiu Shuzhi couldn’t dodge in time. Just as the hidden weapons were about to strike her, someone suddenly embraced her from behind and plunged into the lake. The silver needles pierced directly into the horse behind, which let out a long neigh of anguish before struggling and collapsing on the ground, breathless.
The assassin lunged towards her in the water, palm wind gathering internal force surging towards her. Qiu Shuzhi instantly reacted, pushed away Yue Guanyi, channeled internal force into her sword qi to split his palm wind. The sword should have pierced his waist and abdomen, but unexpectedly the assassin charged straight through, the sword blade penetrating his heart, killing him on the spot.
“Your Highness, Your Highness, are you alright?” Qiu Shuzhi had no time to mind the assassin, pulled Yue Guanyi out of the water, held him tightly in her arms and went ashore.
She remembered Yue Guanyi wasn’t a good swimmer; last time he fell into the pond in the mansion, he had fallen seriously ill.
Yue Guanyi was soaked through, the wet fabric clinging to his body, long hair winding around his face, his thick eyelashes also wet.
Yue Guanyi seemed to have choked on water, his watery phoenix eyes anxiously fixed on her: “Are you alright?”
Qiu Shuzhi shook her head, looking at the corpse in front of her: “This humble official is fine, it’s just that the assassin is dead, and we probably can’t trace the mastermind behind this. Moreover, this humble official feels something is amiss about this matter. He seemed determined to throw himself onto my sword, as if deliberately seeking death.”
Yue Guanyi lowered his head, water droplets falling from his hair tips: “Since he’s an assassin who infiltrated the palace, he must have heard of Zhaoyuk’s reputation. Falling into my hands is worse than suicide.”
Qiu Shuzhi chuckled lightly. Zhaoyuk truly had an evil reputation, but…
Her eyes flickered as she sat down beside Yue Guanyi, leaning close to him. The distance between them was barely a foot, allowing her to observe his profile at will.
Yue Guanyi laughed softly, his eyes reflecting the shimmering lake ripples: “No matter what, tonight’s affair can finally be put to rest… Congratulations, Official, on your meritorious capture of the criminal—”
Suddenly, a gentle yet powerful force lifted his chin. Yue Guanyi was forced to raise his head, colliding with a pair of eyes as beautiful as a brilliant starry sky, vast and boundless as if about to draw him in.
“Doesn’t Your Highness have something to say to me?”
“What—” he murmured dazedly, gazing into her eyes, his hands tangled together, his heartbeat gradually accelerating.
Suddenly, a fragrance that almost made him lose his senses washed over him. Yue Guanyi consciously felt his vision darken, as if something soft and untouchable gently fell upon his lips.
He froze on the spot, his entire body rigid, his mind blank, his body as cold as if drained of blood.
Qiu Shuzhi embraced his slender waist and tenderly kissed his lips.
A far-reaching fragrance seemed to come from ancient times. He felt it in disbelief, unable to believe that the deity he had always revered as sacred and unattainable would bestow such grace upon him.
After a brief shock, he finally reacted. His mind seemed to be congested with blood, his whole body surging with hot currents. His blood, like magma from the earth’s core, boiled hot and passionate, raging through his veins.
This must be a dream!
He dug his nails fiercely into his palm, drawing blood numbly, but the intense pleasure made him feel no pain at all.
A pair of hands gently caressed his hands, fingers intertwining tightly, blood mingling, pressed closely together.
Yue Guanyi was so shocked he forgot to breathe. Is this real? Is this not a dream?
He stared blankly at the person before him. Qiu Niang, his Qiu Niang, the person he thought of day and night…
“Your Highness, don’t be distracted.” The hand around his waist gently pinched the soft flesh at his waist, smooth and delicate like a piece of congealed cream, his waist weak and boneless.
The place she pinched sent waves of numbness throughout his body. Yue Guanyi froze in place, his waist straight as a board.
The distance between them was so close, without a hint of space. Her lips pressed tightly against his, teeth and lips intertwined. Every place she touched seemed to be on fire, scorching hot, almost burning him.
“Close your eyes.” She held his waist, her gentle low voice like a poet’s soft chant, tender and lingering.
Yue Guanyi’s face was flushed red, his wet eyelashes trembled slightly, his eyes full of her reflection. Hearing Qiu Shuzhi’s words, he tightly closed his phoenix eyes, obedient and docile, arousing pity.
Qiu Shuzhi smiled lightly, holding his waist tighter, her fingertips sliding over his ribs. Each touch made his whole body tremble lightly. He bit his lip, not letting himself make a sound, his delicate eyelashes trembling nervously and helplessly, but their intertwined fingers held on tightly, unwilling to let go.
All around was silent, the water waves surging quietly. That person was dressed all in white, the moonlight gently enveloping his body, coating him in a layer of sacred light. He was so nervous he forgot to breathe, yet allowed her to take whatever she wanted.
