Chapter 33
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As the lingering unease hadn’t subsided, Fu Nian heard Chu Zhaoyi, who had been silently reprimanded, finally speak up.
“After all that talking, Uncle has grown tired. A few days ago, I tried some new green tea and found it quite good. I’ll have the tea room prepare some for Uncle to taste later. However, there are other matters at hand right now, so I’m afraid I can’t continue listening to your guidance.”
“What are you planning to do now?”
“When we were trying to catch the internal burglar last time, we incidentally discovered someone hiding banned books. I remember showing that banned book to Royal Uncle.”
“I understand,” Ze Wang interrupted halfway and suddenly realized. His gaze shifted to the person kneeling on the ground, his pupils narrowing as he remained motionless.
Although Fu Nian kept his head bowed, he could still feel Ze Wang’s gaze on him.
Ze Wang was usually gentle and amiable, but this was the first time Fu Nian felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
“So, can Royal Uncle leave first?”
Ze Wang stood still without responding.
“Royal Uncle doesn’t need to watch him. Before, when you used my name to assign the investigation of ‘that person,’ I didn’t care, but I knew what you were worried about,” Chu Zhaoyi said, then followed Ze Wang’s gaze to the person kneeling on the ground. “Here’s what we’ll do. I promise you, if the country’s fortune continues favorably this year, we’ll address the matter of taking a concubine at the latest before the end of the year. How does that sound?”
After he finished speaking, Fu Nian could indeed hear Ze Wang’s footsteps quickly leaving the hall.
Fu Nian still hadn’t moved.
At the latest, this matter would be considered by the end of this year… he sighed inwardly.
After a while, he heard Chu Zhaoyi closing the doors of the main hall and approaching him.
“This official gree—”
“No need for formalities,” Chu Zhaoyi didn’t let him finish and interrupted with a faint tone, “Who gave you the book? How many people have read this book? Besides this book, do you have any other prohibited items? Have you engaged in activities similar to those described in the book with colleagues, officials, or palace maids?”
Upon hearing this, Fu Nian couldn’t help twitching at the corner of his mouth.
“I have always been merciful. If it’s just the private possession of a banned book, a first-time offender is generally penalized by deducting monthly allowances and undergoing reflection in solitary confinement. They’ll be given a chance to reform. It won’t usually result in sending them to the judiciary or expelling them from the palace.”
Fu Nian gritted his teeth and answered after a moment of silence, “Your Majesty, the book was found. I don’t know if anyone else has read it, and I haven’t… done anything with others like what’s described in the book.” He stumbled on the latter part, feeling his blood rush to his ears, and continued with difficulty, “I haven’t engaged in… the activities described in the book with anyone.”
“Where did you find it? At the dead of night, at the third watch, despite your injuries? Who sent you the dream?”
Fu Nian didn’t immediately respond, silently calculating an appropriate answer.
After a long silence, he couldn’t come up with a lie that could deceive the man in front of him.
“I really found it.”
“Covering up is under the charge of illicit collusion…” Chu Zhaoyi said and then ignored him, calling out to the hall’s entrance, “Guards, take him away directly—”
Illicit collusion. This accusation is enough to lead him out of these nine gates in shackles. Seeing this, Fu Nian didn’t wait for Chu Zhaoyi to finish his sentence and hurriedly interrupted, “Your Majesty, listen to my quibble!”
“No, listen to my explanation,” realizing his mistake, Fu Nian quickly added.
Indeed, Chu Zhaoyi stopped in his tracks, turned around to scrutinize him, seemingly waiting for him to speak.
“Truly, I found it. At the time when I left the Imperial Hospital… I was attempting to meet a palace maid, but she stood me up. On the way back, feeling disappointed, I happened to come across this banned book. Under the moonlight, I glanced through it briefly and then hurriedly concealed it in my robes.” Fu Nian knew that the punishment for attempted cover up would be much lighter. “I truly realize my mistake and won’t dare again in the future.”
Listening to his explanation, Chu Zhaoyi continued without changing his expression, “Who were you originally supposed to meet? What’s her name? Have her brought here to confront her. We’ll find out whether she engaged in lewd activities within the palace.”
“I don’t know her name, and I don’t know where she works. She only told me the time and place to wait,” Fu Nian continued calmly, “Even if we had met, it would have been a mere innocent encounter. I would never dare to engage in any inappropriate actions. As long as I can prove my innocence, I’m willing to do anything.”
Having finished speaking, Fu Nian heard Chu Zhaoyi’s footsteps slowly approaching.
Until there was only a step’s distance between them, Fu Nian saw the man in front of him stop.
“If there’s evidence of collusion, it can be traced. I’m not an unreasonable person,” Chu Zhaoyi continued, intentionally pausing, “Take off your clothes.”
Fu Nian: ?
He wondered if he had misheard the last sentence.
Having just said that he wasn’t unreasonable, he was now asking him to undress. Wasn’t this rather inappropriate?
Fu Nian didn’t dare to ask, after all, he had barely managed to keep the other party listening to his fabricated and absurd story. Hesitating for a while, he silently removed the wristbands and waistbands, took off his outer garments, and then unfastened the ties of his inner robes.
After discarding his clothes on the ground, Fu Nian remained properly kneeling on the ground.
“All of it,” just after he removed his upper garments, Fu Nian heard a voice from above him giving orders, “After you’re done, stand facing the wall. Don’t make a sound until the examination is complete.”
Fu Nian nodded, indicating his understanding.
As he removed all his clothes except for the prosthetic limb, Fu Nian figured out the situation. He couldn’t be examined like a palace maid for her virginity, so they would likely judge by whether there were any marks on his body. Since they were willing to examine his body, it probably meant that Chu Zhaoyi was inclined to believe his story.
As he stood facing the wall, Fu Nian let out a sigh of relief.
No matter what, for now, he wouldn’t be dragged to the judiciary or expelled from the palace.
—However, he didn’t know how his silhouette was being displayed to others right now. The lines of his back were smooth, every muscle in perfect proportion, especially the shallow indentation at his waist that seemed to beg to be touched and explored.
Just as he relaxed a bit, Fu Nian felt a familiar touch of fingertips against the back of his neck.
The calluses on the fingertip felt a bit rough, first brushing over the soft and warm skin of his nape before silently moving to the front of his throat.
Fu Nian held his breath, trying to push aside distracting thoughts, and closed his eyes.
The fingertips caressed his throat for a while before Fu Nian heard a deep voice from behind, “Very good. The most suspicious areas have no marks.”
Following that, Fu Nian felt the fingers slowly moving downward, touching the skin in front of his heart. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to move.
If it were someone else, he could guarantee maintaining an unchanged expression from start to finish.
However, these familiar hands, the familiar breath, combined with memories from his previous life, not only made it difficult for Fu Nian to keep a calm demeanor but even…
Sensing those slightly calloused fingers moving to his waist, Fu Nian bit down even harder on his teeth.
“Is this a sword wound?”
By his side, those hands paused for a long time, motionless. Fu Nian didn’t dare to speak and could only nod.
He couldn’t see Chu Zhaoyi’s expression behind him, only able to feel those familiar hands freely “inspecting” his body.
In the end, Fu Nian couldn’t suppress his increasingly heavy breath and had to open his mouth, breathing heavily.
Feeling those hands touch his waist indentation, Fu Nian couldn’t hold back and instinctively moved aside.
But as a result of his dodge, not only did he not manage to avoid the touch, but that hand also boldly explored the area around his waist indentation.
Fu Nian heard his own breath growing heavier, and he struggled to control his trembling left leg. After all, he was still human, and there were places on his body that shouldn’t be touched.
“It’s a knife wound… don’t—” In the end, Fu Nian couldn’t bear it any longer and whispered softly.
But before he could finish, a large hand suddenly covered his mouth. Now, he couldn’t speak at all, and his voice was completely stifled.
“Silence!” Chu Zhaoyi growled lowly.
“Don’t make a sound, and don’t let me see your face.”
“…” He couldn’t voice his thoughts, nor did he dare to struggle.
Seeing that the person in front of him couldn’t make any sound, Chu Zhaoyi continued methodically touching the scarred skin, murmuring to himself, “This area on your waist, is it a knife wound? It’s as if a piece of flesh was carved out…”
“And this place, it seems to be a crossbow wound.”
With his mouth covered, Fu Nian couldn’t make any sound, and even his breath was stifled.
In the end, all the surrounding sounds became distant, and he had to use his fists against the wall to maintain his balance. All sensations were concentrated on the nerves being touched on his skin. Despite the ice and water bucket in the room to cool things down, beads of sweat still formed on his forehead and back.
“… Indeed, I didn’t find any traces of intimate activities with others. I will temporarily believe your words.”
He didn’t know how much time had passed when Fu Nian finally felt relieved as he heard the man behind him utter these words. Then, the hand that had been there all along finally withdrew, and the hand covering his mouth also loosened.
Fu Nian took deep breaths, his gaze gradually regaining clarity.
“However,” not long after he caught his breath, Fu Nian heard the man behind him speak again, his voice almost brushing against his ear, with a hint of laziness, “Guard Lian, I didn’t call the aunt to come search you. It’s because of your age and abundant experiences that I’m willing to overlook your misdeeds. If I let a woman or a softly-spoken eunuch inspect you, it might cause another awkward situation. That’s why I took matters into my own hands…”
Naturally, Fu Nian didn’t dare to interject.
He just lowered his head, clenched his fists, and tried not to pay attention to the breath that brushed against his ear, attempting to recite sword techniques to clear his mind.
This is bad…
In the silence that followed, he sensed that the breathing near his ear hadn’t moved away. If anything, it had grown slightly heavier and hoarser. He couldn’t tell if it was due to anger or some other reason.
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