Chapter 69: The Seductive Man

  What!

  The king actually said that the official media did not transport out of Ning City? How is this possible?!

  Liu Qingyou and Zhao Yu were both shocked by Zi Ruoye's words and almost cried out in surprise! Was she telling the truth?!

  Zhao Yu's eyes widened suddenly, "Prince Wang, how did you guess? The soldiers escorting the official coal saw it being robbed halfway with their own eyes!"

  Is it possible that coal hasn't been transported out of Ning City at all?

  Zhao Yu furrowed his brow, secretly pondering whether what Zi Ruoye said was true. If it were true, then it would be absolutely terrifying! Who wanted to embezzle over a hundred tons of official coal?!

  "I'm just guessing too..." Zi Ruoye said vaguely, and now without evidence, she couldn't know if it was true or not.

  "Damn it! Can you casually talk about such things?! If it's true, the subsequent entanglement is not just a problem for one or two people! Ning City Governor is only an official of this size, how can he privately swallow more than 100 tons of official coal?! If there isn't someone covering up from above, making these officials disappear would be simply a utopian dream."

  "Hehe, don't be in a hurry. Tomorrow we'll still go drink and eat with the governor, who knows, maybe even flirt with beauties, take it easy..." Ziyueye said very calmly, without any concern for the current urgent situation, her tone full of longing for tomorrow's dinner party.

  Zhao Yu looked at Zi Ruoye's attitude and couldn't help but start worrying again, could this prince really solve the case? He bid farewell and retreated, and after Zhao Yu left, Liu Qingyou finally came out from behind the screen. Her knee-length black hair was as smooth as silk, clinging to her waist, and she walked over to sit down beside Zi Ruoye.

  "Damn it, what were you thinking?"

  "The following days will be hard on you." He said with some guilt, after all, letting Liu Qingyou do such a thing would probably make him suffer greatly.

  "Although this young master has nothing to do with you, this young master will also help Yun Cong take care of you! This young master said he would help you and would keep his promise. You've repeated these words several times, are you really thinking of going to find another man?" Liu Qingyu turned her head, speaking in a bad tone. Pressing her lips together, actually saying what Zi Ruoye had asked him to do, there was also a lump in his heart, but if he saw another man in her arms, he feared that it would not be just a simple lump in his heart.

  "No! How dare I!" Zi Ruoye hastily clarified her attitude, almost saying "Heaven has eyes, like me, Zi Ruoye, if my heart really had other thoughts about another man, I would be struck by five thunders and destroyed by heaven and earth."

  "Hmm! So if you say that again, by the time we return to the capital, I'll definitely tell Cloud Condensation about your lecherous behavior. "Liu Qingyu nodded slightly, now she only needs to move out of Cloud Condensation's residence, this scoundrel will compromise... it can be seen how important Cloud Condensation is in her heart."

  "You rest first, you've been jolting around for so long, have a good sleep. I'll come and call you when it's time to eat." Zǐ Ruò Yè nodded and got up and walked out of the room.

  Liu Qingyou never looked back at Zi Ruoye, and only when he heard the sound of the door closing did he slowly walk to the bedside, taking out the small jar that Zi Ruoye had given him from his bosom. On this trip, apart from changing clothes and bringing silver, he had brought this small jar. He had thought that if he were to sleep outdoors, this thing that the scoundrel had sent would add some courage, but unexpectedly, she had found it on the first day.

  She opened the can, and a sweet aroma wafted up, the lotus seeds coated in sugar icing were small and adorable. She picked one out and put it in her mouth, savoring the sweetness that melted on her lips and tongue. Only then did Liu Qingyu smile softly. The bitterness of the past two months of running around would dissipate, even if that scoundrel still didn't have feelings for her now, but being by her side, eating a sugar lotus seed, made all the anger disappear into thin air.

  When eating lotus seeds, the bitter taste spreads between the lips, but Liu Qingyu feels that this bitterness also has a faint sweetness.

  After sending Zi Ruoye to the post house, Taishou returned directly to the Taishou Mansion and entered his bedroom. After checking that no one was around, he sneaked onto the bed and lightly tapped on the bedboard.

  Knock knock knock!

  With three regular knocks, after the bed board was moved away, it turned out to be a hidden passage! Who would have thought that someone would build a secret passageway under the bed? After confirming again that no one was around, the county magistrate finally went down the hidden passage.

  Lit up the candle flame, step by step down the stairs, the dark passage is not long, after walking for a while, you can see a stone gate.

  Knock knock knock!

  It was another rhythmic three knocks, and this stone gate actually opened by itself!

  "How did you get here at this time?" There was actually someone inside the stone room!

  The county governor felt a bit apprehensive, and went to light the candelabra in the stone room. The dimly lit stone room was now brightened up. Only then could he see clearly that there was someone lying inside the stone room, wearing a silver mask with a poppy pattern carved on it, and a red gemstone embedded on the mask, looking luxurious and enchanting. Although he wore a mask, he couldn't resist this person's charming demeanor, his wide clothes seemed to be simply draped over him, revealing half of his round shoulders like jade, lazily lying on the soft couch.

  The county lieutenant gazed at the person in front of her, slightly dazed. In fact, she had an appointment with this mysterious man, unless something came up, otherwise he was not allowed to enter the dark room. Although the man always wore a mask, being able to catch a glimpse of his faintly visible collarbone was already an extreme pleasure.

  This... is a body that will enthrall both men and women...

  "Your Excellency..." Even if she had a thousand thoughts about the man in front of her, she couldn't express them. "Regarding those over 100 tons of official coal, when does Your Excellency plan to have it transported?"

  It turns out that Zǐ Ruò Yè's guess was correct! Those over 100 tons of official media were indeed not transported away!

  The man slightly turned over, lazily like a noble cat, casually playing with his own hair, "Now that the wind is so tight, it's not the time to transport those officials away." Then, he continued, "You came to find me, I'm afraid it's not just this matter."

  The governor was somewhat unsettled, "The capital has sent a touring inspector to thoroughly investigate this case... I'm afraid of endless troubles and complications." Thinking of this, the governor became even more vexed and paced back and forth in the dark room.

  The man's eyes sparkled like gems as he spoke nonchalantly, "I think that patrol inspector was just a token sent by the Imperial Court of Purple Mysteries. You're so flustered and on edge, aren't you revealing your weakness?" The man's handsome eyebrows furrowed slightly under his mask, thinking to himself that he shouldn't have collaborated with such an incompetent person, as one person from the imperial court had already rattled her so much.

  What! That man is actually talking about the Imperial Court of Zixuan?! Isn't he a citizen of Zixuan? Then what's the point of smuggling over a hundred tons of coal? The man's purpose is simply profound!

  The prefect thought for a moment, Ah! How could she not have thought of it?! And thinking back to the various performances of Zi Ruoye today, this inspector is likely extremely infatuated with men. Looking at her style and attitude, she must be an official from some aristocratic family in the capital who was sent by the Emperor. It's possible that the person being investigated secretly is someone else!

  "What the master said is extremely true! I think this inspector may be just a cover-up, and secretly, there might be someone else investigating the case." The county magistrate's words also made some sense, she had guessed some of it, but her guess was slightly off.

  "After a while, I will send someone to contact you and take away those official media." The man yawned, seemingly a bit sleepy, "What kind of person is the Patrol Inspector?"

  The county magistrate heard the man ask what kind of person Zi Ruoye was, "That patrol is just like the respected master said, he's a socialite who openly has an affair with his own male concubine in public..." The county magistrate couldn't continue speaking, her old face turned red to the roots of her ears.

  "Huh? That's interesting?" The man seemed to have gained interest, slightly propping himself up, "Is the patrol really that kind of person?"

  "It's absolutely true! Even after returning to the inn, she didn't hold back at all and took a bath with her male concubine. The words that came out of her mouth were incredibly bold." The county magistrate sighed, but his voice seemed to carry a hint of envy. Although he hadn't seen the man's face today, he knew that someone who could produce such a voice must be a stunningly handsome person.

  "Really?" The man lying on the soft couch muttered, "You go down first."

  The county governor retreated silently, and the heavy stone gate closed again. The man slowly got up, walked to the back of the stone gate, and pressed his slender fingertips against the wall. With a loud noise from the stone gate, another secret passage appeared in front of the man. A seductive figure flashed by, and with a light swing of her sleeve, the light inside the dark room was extinguished instantly. The man then entered the secret passage.

  "Hmm, I suddenly want to see that patrol officer again?" The man's charming voice echoed in the secret passage, and under the faintly cool firelight, the gemstone on his mask shone with a dazzling brilliance.

  The governor returned to the ground and ordered his men to prepare a banquet for Zǐ Ruò Yè to welcome her and wash away the dust, and again sent someone to inform Zǐ Ruò Yè.

  Zi Ruoye was strolling down the streets of Ning City, carrying a small wine jug and taking a sip every now and then. She couldn't stand the weather in Ning City either, despite wearing as little as possible, but under the scorching sun, it was still inevitable to feel parched.

  After wandering around casually, he returned directly to the post house. Zhao Yu sat in the post house and saw Ziyue Ye return, and immediately said, "Master, the prefect sent someone with an invitation, saying that there will be a banquet tomorrow to welcome you and wash away your travel dust."

  "As expected..." Zǐ Ruò Yè thought for a moment, then turned and went upstairs.

  The next day at noon, Zi Ruoye took Liu Qingyou alone to attend the banquet, while the governor personally received Zi Ruoye. After they sat down, the governor finally spoke up and said, "I suppose this is the... gentleman brought by the inspector?" He had wanted to say "concubine", but thought better of it and changed his words.

  "Hehe, Governor, you have a good eye for beauty." Zi Ruoye had Liu Qingyou stand up and turn around in a circle. Today, Liu Qingyou was wearing a very refreshing outfit, although she still looked confident, the slightly open collar seemed to reveal her snowy skin, which still made people's imagination run wild.

  "Beautiful!" Zi Ruoye proudly boasted, then immediately wrapped Liu Qingyou in her arms, not hiding her fondness.

  Liu Qingyu had been struggling with this outfit for a long time, and only managed to put it on after gritting his teeth. Now, after another round of commotion, his face was already red, but he just clenched his jaw and glared at Zi Ruoye.

  Governor Hsu saw a few clues and smiled, saying, "It seems that the beauty of adults is a bit difficult to tame." Governor Hsu had already determined in his heart that Zi Ruoye was an unlearned and untalented person, so his words became bolder. She had lived for so many years and could see people and speak their language, see ghosts and speak their language.

  Then again vaguely said, "We also have many beauties here, but they are much more obedient than the one in your arms, I don't know if you have any intention..."

  Liu Qingyou was so angry that he almost drew his sword on the spot, looking at this seemingly dignified governor. He had only taken a glance at him yesterday, but he never thought that this governor would be such a person!

  "No!" She spat out in a huff, burying her head into Ziruo Ye's shoulder, turning her back on the governor.

  "Haha, Governor, you also heard that. My beauty is not allowed to be like that. Although my beauty is a bit spicy, it's the spiciness that makes her charming. Those men who are always flattering and fawning, I've long been tired of them."

  The governor repeatedly nodded in agreement and had the servants bring up dishes, plate after plate of exquisite cuisine was brought up, the governor poured wine for Ziyue. They started talking, sometimes with a sentence or two at a time.

  After three rounds of wine, Ziyue Ye said casually, "I'd like to go take a look at the coal field tomorrow, I wonder if the governor can make arrangements for me?"

  The county lieutenant was taken aback. What did this inspector want to do? Why would he suddenly suggest going to the coal mine? This coal mine, apart from laborers collecting coal, not even she had been there before.

  "What? Can't I?" Zi Ruoye asked with a half-lidded gaze, as if unintentionally.

  "What's wrong? How can it be impossible? I'll arrange it immediately." The county governor was taken aback by the gaze of Zi Ruoye, but his heart surged with unease, and he hastily continued speaking.

  "I'm tired! I want to go back!" Liu Qingyao said softly, with a hint of petulance and reproach, causing Zi Ruoye's hand holding the wine jug to almost lose its grip.

  "Governor, thank you for today's hospitality. My beauty is tired, so I'll take my leave first." Zi Ruoye said with a smile, and then gently said to Liu Qingyou, "Beauty, let's go back."

  "That's the end of the official sending the adult." The governor hastily got up, thinking that this person was actually so fond of the people in his belly, and wondered if he would accept a few men with good looks if they were sent over.

  Liu Qingyou sat in the carriage, resentfully saying, "That governor is simply too infuriating! Simply too excessive!" Perhaps saying shameless or unscrupulous would be more fitting, but Liu Qingyou couldn't bring himself to say those words, so he settled for the most extreme words he could think of.

  Zi Ruoye slightly shook her head, "Tomorrow, you might hear even more than that... Liu Qingyou..." Should she continue? It would be a bit too much for him to put on the airs of a male concubine, considering he had always adhered to etiquette. If it were Yun Cong, it would be fine, after all, Yun Cong and she had already reached an unspoken understanding.

  "This young master wouldn't be afraid, would he? This young master is just angry!"

  The voices of the two people in the carriage were just a momentary thing, but the man standing outside the carriage looked inside and smiled slightly, yet suddenly everyone present was stunned.

  Why was it that the man, with a plain and unremarkable face, was less handsome than even the ordinary-looking men in the pavilion, yet when he smiled, they all lost their composure?

  The man watched as the carriage disappeared from his line of sight before turning around and walking away, leaving behind only his words in the air, "This gentleman is indeed quite interesting..."

  Digression

  Second watch... presenting...

  Pfft!

  The screen is full of blood...

  Look at the time... Today is actually White Day...

  Tongzis... Happy Holidays~