Chapter 68: Beauty, let's take a bath together!

  Ning City is one of the main coal-producing areas in the country of Zixuan. Compared to the pleasant climate of the capital city, Ning City's air seems relatively dry, and even the sun appears to be tainted with a hint of toxicity.

  Today, the officials of Ningcheng all got up early, dressed neatly and looked up to wait for the inspector sent by the capital. This time, the official coal was stolen, they were also worried all day, would this inspector not be coming to investigate them?

  From a distance, they seemed to have heard the sound of horse-drawn carriages, each stretching their necks and wondering what kind of person this patrol inspector was.

  The horse carriage came rattling along! Everyone held their breath, Zhao Yu drove the horse carriage with a somewhat speechless expression. Along the way, they received many admiring glances. From half a month ago, as long as they appeared, the gazes would inevitably be on them. Mainly because of Prince Wang, who was really...

  The carriage not only had intricate carvings, but also hung a purple gold bell at the front! How precious is the purple gold, how could they not know? It's just that this inspector's appearance was too extravagant.

  As soon as the carriage of Zi Ruoye entered, Zhao Yu stopped his horse and looked at the people who came to greet him, including the prefect, and said calmly, "Who is the Prefect of Ning City?"

  "Sir, I am the governor of Ning City." A dark-skinned woman in her 40s with a slightly plump figure came out. "Sir has traveled far and must be tired, I have prepared some light wine, would you do me the honor of joining me?" Her eyes kept glancing towards the horse carriage, wondering what the inspector looked like under the thick curtains.

  "I'll go ask. You wait." Zhao Yu turned around, just about to lift the curtain, when he was suddenly embarrassed by the voice inside.

  "Let me go! I don't want to!" A voice like a tinkling bell came from behind the curtain, but the tone seemed unpleasant, as if it was accompanied by a faint struggle.

  "You're all mine now, what's there to want or not want!" The woman's lustful voice came out, carrying a faint threat, and then inside the carriage was a flurry of sounds, it seemed like the woman had pounced on the man, the result of the man struggling with all his might.

  "You... you're so strong! Let me go quickly... hmm..." The man's angry voice came out again, but this time it was replaced by a somewhat ambiguous and thought-provoking tone.

  Zhao Yuxin sighed inwardly, "Your Highness...but still turned around and calmly said, 'The master is busy now, let's have the welcome banquet another day.'"

  The Ningcheng governor nodded with a smile when he heard the ambiguous voice inside, "How can we disturb the elegant mood of the patrol officer? Please follow me to my mansion." He was about to lead the way when Zhao Yu stopped him.

  "Slow!" Seeing the county governor stop and turn around to look at her, Zhao Yu said with a somewhat embarrassed expression, his words also subtly implying something unclear. "The master said that living in the county Governor's house would be somewhat... inconvenient. The master said it would be better to stay at the post station."

  "Beauty, you're so sweet!" Just as Zhao Yu finished speaking, Zi Ruoye's voice suddenly turned cold again, causing the old face of everyone present to turn red.

  "Oh, I know, I know. Then please follow me to the post station, sir." She said and gave Zhao Yu a knowing glance, implying that it's inconvenient for him to stay at her place, isn't there something that can be done about it?

  Zhaoyu felt extremely awkward in his heart, but on the surface he still nodded solemnly, "Then you lead the way. Everyone can disperse now, I'll thank everyone for coming to see us off on behalf of Master." Zhaoyu said with a clasped fist, driving the carriage as he followed the county governor's carriage and left together.

  At this moment, inside the carriage, Liu Qingyou was biting her lip and staring at Zi Ruoye with hatred. She had lived for 19 years and it was the first time she said those words, feeling both ashamed and annoyed. That scoundrel said it was a strategic plan, but the words he made her say were too revealing. Even if she was beaten to death, she couldn't say those words. All she could do was use the vocabulary she could say! But unexpectedly, that person could still be self-directing and self-acting with gusto, drinking wine while saying words that made people feel extremely ashamed and indignant.

  Zi Ruoye's eyes were half-closed, her gaze full of amusement as she watched Liu Qingyou almost pounce on her, but she forced herself to hold back, wanting to laugh but unable to. The previous scene was all her doing, except for the few words Liu Qingyou had spoken. She had flailed about on the soft couch, creating a coercive illusion, and then sucked on her own hand, making ambiguous noises... With the thick curtains separating them, it was only natural that people would let their imaginations run wild.

  After Ziyue Ye's and Taishou's car disappeared from everyone's sight, the crowd at the city gate looked at each other in dismay, and it wasn't until half a day later that they realized the official had really left just like that!

  "That adult who hasn't been seen, I feel like something is off about him......" The soldier closing the city gate whispered to himself. Although he hadn't seen what just happened, how could they not know that ambiguous voice when they occasionally opened the door? Could it be that this patrolling official has always been like this on his way here?

  Another soldier guarding the gate looked around nervously and then said, "Anyway, that's a high-ranking official sent by the Emperor. We can't just talk nonsense like this. Let's just focus on guarding the gate." Although she also thought that the official was unreliable, there was nothing they could do about it. The officials from the capital were unpredictable, and even though their superiors had said to thoroughly investigate the case, in reality, things were not so simple.

  It's likely that this inspector will probably stay in Ning City for just a month or two and then return to the capital without any leads. After all, it's already been four months since the coal was stolen! If the thief sold it, they would have sold most of it by now, so it's unlikely we'll be able to recover anything!

  "It's also true that we just need to take care of our own rice bowl." Hearing his companion say this, he felt it made some sense and didn't speak up again.

  It's not just the soldiers guarding the gate who think so, but also those who came to welcome the governor today.

  After arriving at the post station, Zhao Yu simply said a sentence "I'll see you again another day, sir" and sent the governor off. He lifted the curtain of the carriage, "Sir, we've arrived at the post house."

  Zi Ruoye nodded slightly, put away her small wine jug, walked to the front of Liu Qingyou, and smiled at him with a gentle smile.

  "Damn it! What are you staring at me for?" Liu Qingyou was made somewhat uncomfortable by the gaze of Zi Ruoye, and raised his head to ask.

  "Of course..." As soon as she finished speaking, Ziyueye bent down and scooped up Liu Qingyou in a horizontal hug, nimbly jumping off the carriage!

  "Damn it! What are you doing! Let me go!" Liu Qingyou didn't expect Zi Ruoye to suddenly hug him, and was so scared that he struggled in her arms, trying to get down, his heart racing wildly. Damn it, why did she suddenly hug him like this?!

  "Beauty, it's more comfortable to hold you!" Zi Ruoye tightened her arms, half-closing her eyes and gazing at Liu Qingyou with a look in her eyes that made him see the expression in them.

  Liu Qingyou was taken aback, looking at the eyes of Zi Ruo Ye, the clear bottom of her eyes were filled with a soothing expression, slowly Liu Qingyou stopped moving, and automatically wrapped his arms around her neck, resting his face in her bosom, quietly letting her hold him.

  He just got scared and forgot...

  He just agreed to accompany this bastard to investigate the case...

  Even if it's fake, being able to lean on her and let her hold me at this moment is good enough!

  The inn, apart from Zi Ruoye and her entourage, was only left with the servants. The governor was afraid that Zi Ruoye would not be used to staying here, so before bringing Zi Ruoye to the inn, he had someone come to clean up first, and then brought Zi Ruoye to the inn in order to give her a good impression.

  "Xiao Yu, have someone bring hot water, I want to take a mandarin duck bath with the beauty. This place is really sweltering!" Zi Ruoye said with a scowl on her face, completely disregarding the gazes of those around her, and directly carried Liu Qingyou towards the room arranged by the governor. As soon as they entered the room, Zi Ruoye's mouth twitched - this governor had indeed made thorough arrangements for her.

  What! A pair of mandarin ducks taking a bath together!

  Everyone present was shocked and wide-eyed! This person is too unscrupulous! Even if it's true with one's own husband, it can't be said in public like this. The shopkeeper secretly grumbled to himself, the county magistrate had instructed him to take good care of the dignitary in front of him, but listening to his tone, how could he not sound like that at all!

  Even Liu Qingyou's face turned red, burying her small face in Zi Ruoye's arms, refusing to show her face, gritting her teeth in hatred. This dead bastard really has no qualms about saying anything!

  After entering the house, Ziyue put down Liu Qingyou and observed the interior decoration. The peony screen with blooming flowers symbolizing wealth and nobility, the real silk quilt, and the mandarin duck soft pillow were all exquisite!

  Liu Qingyou was also surprised by the furnishings of this room, but after glancing around casually for a few moments, she turned her gaze to Zi Ruoye. Zi Ruoye was secretly admiring the feel of the real silk quilt, but Liu Qingyou looked like she had an improper expression on her face. She glanced at the mandarin duck soft pillow in the bedding, then turned her head away and stopped looking, her ear roots also flushing with a tempting pink color.

  Before long, the station's steward had already brought in a bathtub and hot water. After everything was ready, he retreated. Zi Ruoye glanced around the room, her ears moving slightly as she walked to Liu Qingyou's front and said urgently, "Beauty, quickly take off your clothes and bathe with me! I've been thinking about your body tightly... That brief moment in the carriage really wasn't enough."

  He pulled Liu Qingyou behind the screen, Liu Qingyou stiffened her body and looked at Zi Ruoye, did she really have to take off her clothes? If it was true that they could have a good bath, he thought, it had been a month since they hadn't had many chances to wash up properly, especially since he was a cleanliness freak...

  Zi Ruoye pressed her index finger to Liu Qingyu's lips, winking mischievously, and her ears moved slightly again. She mouthed the words, "I know you're tired, go wash up, I'll keep watch outside. I'll close my eyes. Later, no matter what I say, just ignore me, even if I fart!"

  Liu Qingyou looked at Zi Ruoye, but didn't expect her to say that. He felt a slight sweetness in his heart for the first half of her sentence, and found the second half amusing. Although her previous words about washing the mandarin duck had made him very angry, he knew that these were just words to deceive others, and she wouldn't really say such things. Zi Ruoye turned around and walked out from behind the screen, sat down on a nearby soft couch, closed her eyes, and didn't look at the alluring figure revealed by the white screen.

  Even through a screen... she couldn't help but respect Liu Qingyou, she didn't want to use this method, but Liu Qingyou insisted on helping her...

  At the same time, the dark shadows lurking in the darkness also closed their eyes...

  Liu Qingyu looked through the screen at Zi Ruoye, the screen vaguely showing a rough outline, and it could be seen that the bastard had turned around, his cheeks flushing with a faint pink, actually she didn't mind if he looked at her either...

  Good heavens! What is he thinking again? That rascal doesn't like himself! If she really saw it, she would definitely marry him with a responsible attitude, but that's not what he wants...

  He took off his clothes and hung them on the screen, then stepped into the bathtub. Actually, Ning Cheng's climate was really not suitable for him, it was too dry, making him feel uncomfortable all over, but as long as that bastard was by his side, everything was fine.

  After hearing the sound of water, Zǐ Ruò Yè continued to speak in a very drooling tone, with a hungry wolf-like voice, saying: "Beauty, your body is really too beautiful, I'm not satisfied no matter how many times I look at it, no matter how many times I touch it... Beauty... come and let me kiss you!"

  The people hiding in the dark all blushed, and they were truly impressed by Zi Ruoye's skills... Liu Qingyou only then understood what the second half of Zi Ruoye's sentence meant, her face red as she splashed the water surface, creating a sound.

  Listening to the sound of water made by Liu Qingyou, Zi Ruo Ye slightly curved up her mouth and continued, "Beauty, don't hide, wherever you hide I'll see you anyway, come let me kiss you, I'm dying for you..."

  "It's hard to let go in the water, beautiful girl, let's get on the bed, this real silk quilt, mandarin duck soft pillow, it turns out that someone has prepared it for us, and it must be a different kind of enjoyment! Don't waste the good intentions of others too much, haha!" The sound of splashing water became even louder, as if they really came out of the water!

  A string of overly ambiguous and fiery words floated out from the room, but unexpectedly, the shopkeeper was standing not far away, frowning and eavesdropping. After confirming that Ziyue Ye had been lying on the bed for a few hours, she retreated. However, in her heart, she secretly thought that this shopkeeper was too nervous, making her listen to the wall corner. This gentleman had already been there for several hours and still... Thinking of this, the shopkeeper's old face couldn't help but turn red. She'd better tell the lord about what she heard today first.

  After the shopkeeper left, Ziyueye continued to say, "Hmm... beautiful girl, you're so great... really beautiful..." The sound of the bed shaking violently came from inside the house, it was truly intense!

  After a while, Ziyue Ye finally stopped and looked at the front, which had been washed clean but was still red, with beautiful eyes burning like fire, looking at Liu Qingyou, slightly turning away her gaze to avoid being killed by Liu Qingyou's gaze.

  "It's clear that everyone has already left! You damn corpse, how can you still... " Biting his lip, the words behind were spoken, but it was really too bold, he couldn't say it no matter what.

  "That person is just a small ant, and there are still several insects behind him that haven't left yet." Zi Ruoye said with a smile, anyway those people were just eavesdropping, if they wanted to listen then she would just have to say it, how good of her to give them face, and let them report back to their master, how formidable she was!

  "Are you saying there's someone else?!" Liu Qingyou was shocked, he only felt the shopkeeper's breath, so this meant that just now, apart from the shopkeeper outside the door, there was someone else? Then when he was bathing just now... Thinking of this, Liu Qingyou suddenly turned pale, if he had been seen by someone, then how could he...how could he...

  Zi Ruoye saw Liu Qingyou's small face suddenly turn pale, and with a slight turn, he knew his concern. "They didn't see! They're hiding in the trees outside the inn. That's why I said it so loudly, to let them know how... brave I am!" The first half of the sentence was truly comforting, but after the second half, it turned into a frivolous tone.

  When she said that, Liu Qingyou's face finally eased up, "Damn it! Now you can speak, right?! Why did you make me... let Ben Shao say... say those words!" After finishing, his entire face turned red. Although he would occasionally sneak out of the house and practice martial arts, the many years of propriety and decency had taught him that those words were still a bit too stimulating for him!

  "Why do you want to do this? Does it have anything to do with the investigation?" Liu Qingyu sat down, his hair still dripping wet, water droplets falling from it, he didn't care, what he most wanted to know now was how this dead guy was going to investigate the coal mine theft case.

  Zi Ruoye's eyes flickered slightly, but she walked over to pick up a soft cloth and placed it on Liu Qingyou's head. "If you don't dry your hair, you'll get sick." Apparently, none of them were in the habit of drying their hair; Yun Cong seemed not to have this habit either.

  Yun Cong didn't wipe the water off his long hair, mainly because every time Zi Ruoye saw him, she would automatically help him dry it. Yun Cong actually liked this spontaneous action of Zi Ruoye's, especially when they were not yet married, and it was one of the few times he could get close to her.

  Liu Qingyou just wanted to know why Zi Ruoye was doing that, and for a moment didn't want to bother with her own hair. "You talk, I'll listen," she muttered, wiping the water from her hair, but her eyes were fixed tightly on Zi Ruoye.

  Zi Ruoye nodded, "I absolutely know what to say and when. I'm doing this just to let the county guard know that I'm a sex maniac... only knowing the pleasure of being with a woman."

  Liu Qingyu glared at Ziyue Ye with a mixture of anger and hatred, "Aren't you a pervert?! You're such a bastard! But you're not just a pretty face!" Facts are facts! Hmph!

  Just as Zi Ruoye was about to continue, she was interrupted by Liu Qingyou, "Alright, I'll play along! A flower vase like you comes to investigate a case, what can you possibly find out? Liu Qingyou, if it were you, how would you view this person?"

  Ling Qingyu put down the work in her hand and looked at Zi Ruoye, her voice as gentle as a breeze blowing through the wind chimes. "If I were that Taishou, I would definitely look down on this person, not take them seriously, and try to delay things by catering to their whims..." As she spoke, Ling Qingyu's eyes flashed with an incredulous light, looking at Zi Ruoye - it turned out that this scoundrel had planned everything out long ago!

  Zi Ruoye gritted her teeth and smiled, "It's about this... If I were to investigate the case during this time, and the county magistrate often invited me to play, then my other half's guess would be **not far off**."

  "Guess the other half?" looked at Ziyue Ye with confusion, which means what he just said was only half of the purpose of the dead guy, so what's the other half?

  Zhao Yu waited until the shopkeeper left before going forward and knocking on the door, "Master, may I come in?"

  "Ah, come in." Liu Qingyou hastily hid behind the screen, the disheveled appearance of the man was not something that anyone other than his wife could see.

  Zhao Yu pushed open the door, but it was to see Liu Qingyou standing behind the screen, slightly embarrassed and said, "Master, if it's not convenient, I can wait a bit longer." She also wanted to ask Zi Ruoye what her high-profile purpose was...

  "No need, Deputy Commander Zhao. You continue speaking, I'll just listen from behind the screen." Liu Qingyu intervened and said softly from behind the screen.

  "It's like that, then I'll get straight to the point." Zhao Yu nodded and looked at Zi Ruoye, "Your Highness, I also want to know why you're doing this. Why do we have to make such a big show of it... um... let people know that Your Highness is... like this..." As a soldier, she should be straightforward, but this was something she really couldn't bring herself to say out loud.

  "Hahaha!" Zi Ruoye saw Zhao Yu struggling to speak and decided not to make things harder for her. "I have my reasons for doing this, think about it, why would the coal being transported halfway suddenly disappear? Over a hundred kilograms! Not just one or two catties! Did they all eat those coal?"

  "That's why?" Zhao Yu furrowed his brow, indeed more than 100 kilograms of coal had vanished into thin air, it was really too unbelievable, just transporting it would be a lot of trouble...

  "I'm guessing..." Zi Ruoye paused, "Oh my, don't be so serious!" Looking at Zhao Yu's overly serious face, Zi Ruo also couldn't help but reveal her playful expression.

  "Damn it! Speak up! Don't interrupt!" What's wrong with this guy?! Talking and stopping halfway through!

  Zhao Yu also looked at Ziyue Ye with a helpless expression, "Your Highness, I strongly agree with Mr. Liu's opinion at this moment. Don't sell out, Your Highness."

  In fact, she just wanted to ease the atmosphere, but she was just guessing, and now even the eight characters are not yet complete...

  "I guess... " Zi Ruoye's eyes cleared up, "That over 100 tons of coal never left Ning City!"

  Digression

  One more thing... First of all...