Chapter 111
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Lin Qingyang considered revealing Xinyue’s identity directly, but it seemed challenging to explain how he knew.
After careful thought, he could only assist Xinyue in treating her wounds while cautiously addressing the situation, saying, “When Xinyue came to apologize earlier, we had a brief conversation. Although she didn’t explicitly state it, her identity seems quite complex. She didn’t fall from a declining family or get trafficked but had an agreement with Boss Xie. It seems she ventured out mischievously, maybe not as simple as a young lady from some aristocratic family in West Moon Country.”
Chu Lishu’s expression indeed changed slightly.
Lin Qingyang stopped short, knowing that Chu Lishu’s expression suggested he would investigate Xinyue’s identity. This would allow the plot to return to its course.
While treating Xinyue’s wounds, Lin Qingyang was unsure about the extent of his actions. Bleeding from the head seemed serious, and he was concerned that Chu Lishu’s blow might have been too strong. “Let’s find the madam here. We need to consult a doctor. We can’t leave this girl alone like this. What if there are complications with the wound…”
“No, we can’t explain this situation. It will lead to complications.”
“But we can’t just leave her alone. What if there are issues with the wound…”
Chu Lishu frowned slightly, contemplating Xinyue’s witness to everything. Indiscriminately leaving her behind was not an option because her identity was dubious, and, for the time being, killing her was also not permissible. However, he couldn’t stay for long. Lu Shi had also been injured, and the notification from Hai Gonggong about leaving meant preparations were already in place on that end. They had to depart.
Chu Lishu appeared hesitant, leaving Lin Qingyang to wait for his decision. Unable to bear the sight of the repeatedly loosened bandages, Lin Qingyang decided to take matters into his own hands. Since he had medicine at hand, he couldn’t resist reaching out to lift Chu Lishu’s hand, intending to re-treat the wound.
Chu Lishu’s hand had beautiful bones, resembling jade, and his skin was fair and crystal-clear. Unfortunately, the torn palm now showed a mess of flesh and blood in the middle, a complete penetrating injury. However, given the protagonist’s physique, it wouldn’t leave a scar once it healed, but it certainly looked painful now.
Lin Qingyang furrowed his brow as he inspected the wound, then couldn’t help but look up at Chu Lishu.
Chu Lishu, however, just watched him quietly, his expression focused. Between his eyebrows, there was a softness, devoid of any signs of pain.
Lin Qingyang reflexively asked, “Does it hurt?”
After asking, he realized that for the protagonist, this was just a minor injury. How could the protagonist admit to pain? He was always able to endure as if his pain perception was not very sensitive.
Chu Lishu opened his mouth and said, “It hurts…”
“I knew you…it hurts?” Lin Qingyang nearly bit his own tongue. The protagonist actually said it hurt while he was conscious, and his tone was so gentle. “Then…I’ll be gentler.”
Chu Lishu nodded, indicating Lin Qingyang to continue.
Lin Qingyang cautiously reapplied the medicine and bandaged the wound, trying to be as gentle as possible. By the time he finished, he was sweating all over.
Suddenly, a hand touched his cheek, and Lin Qingyang was stunned. He then heard Chu Lishu’s deep and hoarse voice, “Does it hurt?”
His hand didn’t just stop at this one spot. Cheeks, forehead, neck—all those areas were slightly painful. Probably because there were too many places hurting that didn’t bleed, Lin Qingyang couldn’t accurately pinpoint where it hurt anymore, and he didn’t mind.
But could the protagonist stop touching him? It felt weird.
Feeling uneasy, Lin Qingyang hastily said, “It’s okay… *cough* *cough*.” For some reason, he started coughing.
Chu Lishu’s expression instantly changed, and he said seriously, “Take off your clothes.”
Lin Qingyang: “…Huh?”
“Let me check if there are any other injuries on your body. The opponent has martial arts skills. Some areas may not bother you now, but if you’ve suffered internal injuries, it could affect you in the future,” Chu Lishu spoke up.
Although what he said made sense, the idea of undressing in front of Chu Lishu to show his injuries felt awkward to Lin Qingyang.
“It’s okay. I probably took a kick to the chest from that guard, but I’m sure I didn’t break any bones. I’ll find a physician when I get back to have it checked…” Lin Qingyang politely declined.
However, Chu Lishu was still concerned. Could a physician understand internal injuries better than someone like him who originally practiced martial arts?
“It doesn’t hurt to let me take a look first; it’s good to be well aware of the situation.” Chu Lishu insisted.
Lin Qingyang instinctively reached out to cover his collar but then felt the gesture was inexplicable. They were both men; what was the big deal about taking a look? It’s not like it was a major issue. Did getting kissed make him overly self-conscious?
Lin Qingyang cleared his throat, turning the action of grabbing his collar into pulling it open. With an imposing demeanor, he ripped open his shirt, exposing his chest, and tilted his neck, “Go ahead, take a look. It’s just some ordinary bumps and bruises.”
Sure enough, Chu Lishu approached and examined carefully. There were a few bruises, but they didn’t seem too serious. As he continued to look down, because the shirt wasn’t completely open, blocking part of the view, Chu Lishu naturally reached out and pulled aside the lapel of Lin Qingyang’s shirt hanging over his shoulder.
At that moment, Lin Qingyang felt as if his heart had skipped a beat, as if someone had stripped him bare. A sudden sense of shame surged within him.
Just then, there was a sudden movement behind him, probably indicating that Xinyue had awakened. Panicking, Lin Qingyang, feeling like a guilty thief, hurriedly tried to pull his clothes back up.
The two of them were originally sitting on the edge of the bed. When Xinyue, who had been lying on the bed, woke up, she sprang up with renewed energy. After all, she was in a dangerous state before losing consciousness, so upon waking up, her instinct was to escape. In a series of swift movements, completely disregarding the person by the bedside, Lin Qingyang, she forcefully pushed aside the obstacle and jumped off the bed.
When Lin Qingyang regained his senses and turned around, he saw himself, partially undressed, pressed against another man.
Xinyue took a sharp breath, freezing in place.
Equally frozen was Lin Qingyang. As he looked at Chu Lishu beneath him and the lips so close, his brain suddenly heated up, and he quickly scrambled to get up.
His mind was filled with eloquent greetings to the system. This coincidence was just too much. Why did it feel like more and more scripted situations were happening to him?
The system insisted it wasn’t its fault.
Lin Qingyang hastily adjusted his clothes, and at this point, Chu Lishu sat up in silence.
At that moment, a sigh could be heard in the air.
“You two really have this kind of relationship!”
Lin Qingyang’s skin immediately tightened: What kind of relationship? There’s no relationship; don’t talk nonsense!
Lin Qingyang instantly recognized the speaker. This could be one of the future wives of the male lead. Regardless of whether they succeeded this time, he couldn’t let the supporting character think that the male lead was a jilted lover!
He immediately looked at Xinyue, anxiously denying, “What kind of relationship? Don’t joke around!”
Xinyue furrowed her brow, suspiciously saying, “Why deny it? If you’re not in that kind of relationship, why go all out for him? And didn’t you admit earlier that you’re jilted? Don’t worry, I don’t find it disgusting; our country has such relationships too. But you shouldn’t engage in such activities next to someone who’s unconscious. What kind of fetish is this? It seems people from the Great Zhou dare to play with anything.”
Compared to the Great Zhou, the West Moon people were more conservative. After coming to the capital and staying in such places, she naturally witnessed a lot. Therefore, she defaulted to a certain explanation for the current situation.
Lin Qingyang’s face turned red. Oh no, they’ve been completely misunderstood. The system better not determine the mission as a failure; he worked hard to earn those points.
“You’ve really misunderstood. We’re just cousins, family naturally protects each other. Just now, you suddenly crazily jumped off the bed and pushed me. Did you forget?” Lin Qingyang spoke with a righteous tone.
Xinyue, still somewhat innocent, was swayed by Lin Qingyang’s explanation and started to think she had misunderstood.
Chu Lishu frowned at Lin Qingyang, feeling displeased. Even if they couldn’t be together, he didn’t want to be outright denied by Lin Qingyang like this. “Cousin, why explain so much to her?”
Could he not explain? Big brother, do you not want your wife anymore?
Lin Qingyang chuckled nervously, and Xinyue furrowed her brow, looking at Chu Lishu, touching her still-aching head. “What… is the situation now? Will you still suddenly go crazy? We were beaten pretty badly by you just now.”
Lin Qingyang, afraid that Xinyue might mention his earlier peeping incident, quickly interjected. He formally introduced the two, then explained, “My cousin was harmed by someone, it wasn’t intentional. He’s fine now, and we really appreciate your help just now. If it weren’t for you, both my cousin and I would have been in trouble.”
Xinyue was easygoing and waved her hand, saying, “You’ve helped me before; we people from the West Moon are grateful for kindness. No need to make a fuss about such a small matter.”
“But it’s our fault that you got injured. We’ll take responsibility for your injuries and find the best physician to treat you, ensuring there are no lasting effects,” Lin Qingyang said, then added a sudden note of caution.
“However, the situation here is a bit complicated. You’re still a person from the West Moon Country, and if this gets linked to a murder case, it might not be good for you. So, we need to keep today’s events confidential. If you trust that I’m not a bad person, I invite you to stay at my house temporarily. Once your injuries are healed and things here settle down, you can return. I’ll treat you as an honored guest and take good care of you. What do you think?”
Chu Lishu suddenly looked at Lin Qingyang, and Lin Qingyang quickly gave a discreet nod as a signal.
In reality, Chu Lishu was well aware that he couldn’t leave Xinyue alone here. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hesitated earlier. Chu Lishu needed time to investigate Xinyue’s identity before determining a course of action. Since Chunxiang Tower was no longer under Chu Lishu’s control, he couldn’t manage Xinyue’s presence there. Thus, the best solution at the moment was to bring this unpredictable factor back home.
Chu Lishu paused, understanding that this was a good idea, and didn’t object.
Thinking it would take some persuasion, both Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu were surprised when Xinyue, upon hearing the suggestions, thought for a moment and immediately agreed. This unexpected response left them momentarily stunned.
“You… you’re really too trusting.” Lin Qingyang found the behavior of this little princess a bit hard to comprehend.
“Aren’t you a person with status and influence? I’ll tell the madam that I’ve been invited by you to perform at your home. I can’t possibly go missing, and if a murder happens here, it will surely attract attention. I can’t afford that, so I’ll hide at your place for now and recover from my injuries,” Xinyue explained simply, thinking that her reasoning made perfect sense.
Lin Qingyang’s mouth twitched. Princess Xinyue was lucky to have safely traveled from the West Moon Country to the Great Zhou. She considered herself clever, but in reality, she was quite a naive girl. Fortunately, they weren’t bad people.
Lin Qingyang smiled and said, “Alright, let’s leave soon. Are you ready?”
Xinyue nodded, “I’ll go talk to the madam, then pack up and wait for you at the entrance. See you in a bit.” Xinyue was excited, behaving like a child about to embark on a journey. Ignoring the injuries on her head, she happily bounced out.
Lin Qingyang shook his head as he watched her go.
“Cousin, are you planning to take her to the other courtyard?” Chu Lishu asked.
“Where else can we go? We can’t go to the Marquis’s residence; it’s not safe there. Besides, the other courtyard has my mother and eldest sister; they can take better care of Xinyue,” Lin Qingyang turned to look at Chu Lishu. “What about you… are you going back to the Marquis’s residence or…”
Chu Lishu hesitated for a moment and then spoke, “I have some matters to attend to. I’ll stay at the Marquis’s residence for now. As for your side…”
“Well, you go ahead with your business. I don’t have much to do, just recover at home. Don’t push yourself too hard, especially with your injuries,” Lin Qingyang decisively accepted. With so many points, he felt entitled to be a bit assertive. Besides, after the recent intimate encounter with the male lead, he felt the need for some time to adjust. For a straight guy, this required some healing of internal wounds.
Subsequently, the two of them left the Golden Phoenix Pavilion. Before leaving, Lin Qingyang glanced at the two closed rooms, unsure of how Chu Lishu would arrange matters there.
The thrilling night finally came to an end. At the entrance of the Golden Phoenix Pavilion, Xinyue, now changed into different clothes, was waiting for them.
Once on the carriage, Xinyue realized they weren’t leaving together and curiously asked why.
Lin Qingyang gave a brief explanation.
“So, you’re accompanying your mother to recuperate. You’re truly filial,” Xinyue said, her excitement turning into a sudden sense of melancholy. “I miss home.”
At around the age of sixteen, Xinyue was still a bit young. Lin Qingyang comforted her like a sister for a while. Xinyue then shifted her attention and excitedly said, “I haven’t had the chance to explore and have fun since I arrived here. You said you’d entertain me.”
Lin Qingyang smiled, “No problem, but we need to make sure your head injury isn’t severe first.”
By the time they returned to the other courtyard, it was already very late, and everyone in the house was asleep, except for a few servants and Shuncai who were waiting.
Due to the blood loss, Xinyue had fallen asleep in the carriage, and no amount of calling could wake her up when they arrived at the gate. Helplessly, Lin Qingyang had to carry her off the carriage, escort her to her guest room, and then instruct Shuncai to fetch a physician.
Shuncai closed his nearly dropped jaw, too stunned to ask further questions. He hurriedly went to wake up the experienced physician.
The seasoned physician grumbled as he arrived, but upon seeing a young maiden, his eyes widened, and he turned to glare at Lin Qingyang.
“What are you looking at? Attend to the patient!” Lin Qingyang said in confusion.
The old physician glared at him fiercely, then promptly chased him out and called a maid to assist.
Outside the courtyard, Shuncai finally seized the opportunity to inquire about the girl’s background. Lin Qingyang could only explain it as trouble caused at the Golden Phoenix Pavilion, resulting in the girl getting injured. He brought her home to recuperate and considered her a friend who should not be neglected.
Shuncai had some initial doubts, but when he heard Chu Lishu’s name mentioned, he suddenly seemed enlightened. Indeed, the Young Master couldn’t resist seeking out Young Master Chu. However, during this time, Young Master Chu didn’t come, but the Young Master brought a girl back instead. Could it be that the Young Master and Young Master Chu had a falling out? Was the Young Master trying to test Young Master Chu and ended up with this situation? And why bring a girl along? Would it be effective?
It wasn’t Shuncai’s overactive imagination; it was just that Lin Qingyang suddenly bringing a young and beautiful girl back to the other courtyard that made anyone suspicious. For those unaware of the situation, it seemed much simpler to entertain doubts.
When the physician came out, his eyes almost rolled to the heavens. Who would believe that the Young Master would casually bring a girl back in the middle of the night? It was improper behavior. Despite that, the physician dutifully explained the situation: a minor injury, just rest for a few days and replenish some blood.
Lin Qingyang asked the physician for some additional medicine for bruises and injuries before letting the person go to rest.
After arranging for the servants to take care of Xinyue, Lin Qingyang returned to his own courtyard to recuperate. Unaware that Xinyue’s arrival had become a major piece of news in the other courtyard, he would wake up the next day to find that the news of him bringing a girl back late at night had already spread to every corner of the residence.
On the other side, in the middle of the night, a figure appeared at the gate of the Imperial Court of Justice Review. The Deputy Minister, who had been working through the night on the case of illegal tribute circulation, received a message that a eunuch had arrived at the gate.
Upon going outside, he saw that it was Hai Gonggong. Hai Gonggong had come to the Imperial Court of Justice Review to officially accuse Chief Steward Wang of crimes against the state.
The Deputy Minister quickly invited Hai Gonggong inside and learned the truth about the illegal tribute circulation case from his mouth.
It turned out that Chief Steward Wang had been using his official position to embezzle tribute gifts and engage in illicit sales. Li Chaofeng from the pawnshop outside the palace, the Zhang family’s trading caravan, and captain Zhao of the Imperial City Army, were all under his command. Together, these four individuals established a complete illegal trade route, making the investigation challenging.
Hai Gonggong had collected a considerable amount of evidence but was afraid to report it within the palace, fearing that he would be killed before reaching the emperor. It was only when Chief Steward Wang was too busy dealing with the aftermath of the investigation that Hai Gonggong had the opportunity to slip away and come to the Imperial Court of Justice Review to file the accusation.
Initially suspicious of Hai Gonggong’s intentions, the Deputy Minister believed him after Hai Gonggong conveyed the idea passed on by Lu Shi earlier. Knowing that the Deputy Minister would soon uncover their activities, Hai Gonggong discovered that Chief Steward Wang intended to shift the blame onto him. To save his life and avoid unjust punishment, he had no choice but to take a risky move.
Seeing the ironclad evidence Hai Gonggong presented, including the location where they were hiding their goods, the Deputy Minister was already ninety percent convinced. He immediately dispatched people to apprehend the criminals and seize the stolen goods.
Hai Gonggong also informed the Deputy Minister that Chief Steward Wang’s purpose for coming out that night was to eliminate witnesses. To protect himself, Chief Steward Wang planned to kill the other three involved. If they hurried, they might be able to catch them alive.
The Deputy Minister quickly led his men to the Golden Phoenix Pavillion.
Upon arrival, they witnessed people continuously fleeing, and smoke rising from the Golden Phoenix Pavillion.
The Imperial City Army, alerted by the information about the fire, also rushed to the scene. Eventually, even officials from the government office joined, creating a crowd of onlookers.
The fire on the third floor of the Golden Phoenix Pavillion was intense, and by the time it was extinguished, almost the entire third floor of that section of the building had burned down. Several people lost their lives. As the charred and deformed bodies were carried out one by one, the madam’s face turned pale.
Due to the intensity of the fire, the cause of the arson was difficult to determine. However, when they discovered that there was only one young eunuch among the casualties, the Deputy Minister became anxious and initiated an overnight investigation and interrogation. By morning, the matter was reported to the emperor.
Hai Gonggong was also sent back for further investigation.
Ultimately, due to the conclusive evidence provided by Hai Gonggong, it was confirmed that the individuals were killed before the fire, including those Chief Steward Wang intended to silence. However, Chief Steward Wang’s whereabouts remained unknown. It could be reasonably concluded that he was involved in the murders and arson, and upon realizing that the situation might be exposed, he destroyed the evidence at the scene and fled with the embezzled funds.
The authorities immediately posted notices to apprehend Chief Steward Wang, but they received information that someone with a similar build had left the city early in the morning when the gates were opened.
This solidified the rumors of his escape.
Hai Gonggong, who played a crucial role in reporting and gathering evidence, was duly promoted and assumed the position of Chief Steward Wang. True to Chu Lishu’s promise, he began to take control of one of the three major eunuch factions within the palace.
However, just as Hai Gonggong received the imperial decree for his promotion, he was summoned by Chief Steward Ning.
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