“Huh?”
Shen Yue reacted for a moment before blurting out: “Dammit, I forgot to wipe it off!”
“What?” The prince’s frown deepened.
“Ah, Your Highness, this subordinate disguised as a woman for the mission. Earlier I only remembered to wipe my face but forgot to remove this rouge.” She answered truthfully.
“Disguised as a woman?”
A meaningful expression flickered in Xiao Yuheng’s eyes.
Shen Er’s face was delicate and clean – if dressed as a woman, it could indeed pass as genuine.
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ve already drugged Song Xianzhi’s wine. These are the banknotes found on him.”
“Mm, what else?” Xiao Yuheng raised an eyebrow.
What else?
Shen Yue thought for a while, assuming he meant the dagger, then reluctantly untied it from her lower back.
“Here, your dagger.”
She dejectedly placed the dagger on the table, though her eyes never left it.
The dagger was forged from premium Mystic Iron. Before returning to the manor, she had tested it – it could slice through iron like mud, effortlessly cutting down a tree about twenty centimeters in diameter.
Apart from the defense master she had used in her previous life, she had never encountered such a perfect weapon.
Having to return it like this was quite heartbreaking.
Noticing her gaze, Xiao Yuheng almost imperceptibly curved his lips:
“Anything else? Will you take it out yourself or shall I search you personally?”
Shen Yue:!!!
Does this bastard have X-ray vision?
She knew ancient people practiced some strange martial arts, but surely they couldn’t actually see what she was carrying? If that were true, then her C-cup white rabbits…
Ah, phew! Getting off track.
After a moment’s thought, she concluded Xiao Yuheng was bluffing.
Thinking of how she, Shen Yue, had always been calm and collected, sometimes even fooling lie detectors – how could she let him see through her?
Thus, she maintained her composure: “Really nothing else, Your Highness.”She refused to believe a dignified prince would actually search her.”
But against her expectations, the prince actually stood up!
His gaze intense, he approached step by step. Just as he was about to reach her chest, she abruptly stepped back and obediently pulled out the two hundred taels of silver notes from her bosom, handing them over.
“Your Highness, these two… this subordinate forgot about them, hehe.”
This man must have been a dog in his past life! Just two hundred taels – they had to buy women’s clothing and cosmetics for the mission, wasn’t that expensive? What about meal allowances? Huh?
Couldn’t it just count as reimbursement? Huh?
Judging by this dead man’s behavior, clearly not.
Satisfied, he took the banknotes and leisurely returned to his seat, not forgetting to lecture:
“What’s due is due. These two hundred taels should rightfully be returned to the prince’s manor.”
Should rightfully? Shen Yue couldn’t be bothered to argue with him – then he should rightfully return the Blood-Drinking Thorn too, had he done so? Dog man!
“Expenses during the mission will be reimbursed by Changfeng.”
The man looked up at her, “Additionally, Shen Er has merited rewards today.”
Hearing this, Shen Yue’s previously sulky eyes instantly sparkled with golden light!
Suppressing a smile, the man opened a drawer, took out Qiao Er’s bundle, and placed it on the table.
“I heard Qiao Er usually withholds quite a bit of the shadow guards’ silver. Take this back and return it to everyone.”
So that’s what it was. But this silver originally belonged to them anyway – could this really be considered a reward?
Shen Yue secretly grumbled to herself, the golden light in her eyes gradually dimming. Yet she never expected the next words she heard would instantly send her into raptures.
“This dagger shall be bestowed upon you, as an exchange for the Xueyin Ci. How about it?”
Shen Yue could hardly believe her ears. This dagger was far more valuable than any Xueyin Ci!
Never mind that it was already a divine weapon of exceptional quality—just the gems embedded in its scabbard numbered several dozen, large and small. Plucking out any single one would be enough for her to laze around for years!
This… was really being given to her?
Shen Yue suddenly felt Xiao Yuheng’s figure appeared somewhat taller, and his face even more handsome!
Even if he was a scoundrel, he was a handsome scoundrel!
Seeing her frozen in place, Xiao Yuheng raised an eyebrow and reached out to take the dagger back. “It seems you don’t want it…”
“Wait! No!”
Before the words faded, Shen Yue swiftly snatched the dagger and dropped to her knees with a thud.
“Thank you for your reward, Your Highness!”
Hehehe, so what if she was being obsequious? Flattery was flattery—nothing compared to the importance of her precious dagger.
With the silver retrieved and the dagger in her possession, Shen Yue spent the entire evening grinning from ear to ear. Not only did she eat two extra bowls of meat, but she also drank considerably more wine.
Unsurprisingly, she woke up late the next day.
Fortunately, Changfeng had received his caning early that morning, and the morning training session was canceled.
Also fortunately, Zhang Dayong and Bai Yunfei had conscientiously arranged for the shadow guards to take their shifts, allowing her to sleep as long as she wished.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, she emerged from her room yawning, ambled leisurely to the main house, flew up to the roof, and deftly lifted a tile with practiced ease.
Sure enough, that fellow Xiao Yuheng was in his study again. Didn’t he ever get bored?
Based on Shen Yue’s three months of observation, aside from eating, sleeping, attending banquets outside, and surviving assassination attempts, he spent most of his remaining time shut away in his study, reading those insipid discourses on statecraft and Strategies for Pacifying the Rong.
Was it really necessary? It wasn’t like he was going to become emperor.
Shen Yue speculated that as the emperor’s younger uncle who was nearly the same age as the princes, Xiao Yuheng’s position must be quite awkward. If the emperor didn’t view him with suspicion, he wouldn’t have been exiled to this borderland Sifang City.
As for his mother, Rou Taifei, she probably didn’t care much for him either, otherwise she wouldn’t have gone so long without sending a single letter.
From this perspective, he was rather pitiable!
Ah, wait… she’d never heard of any billionaire who could be considered pitiable.
Why was she suddenly feeling indignant on his behalf? Was it just because he gave her a dagger?
Or had she been bewitched by his good looks?
Shen Yue, oh Shen Yue, hold fast to your principles! He may be good-looking, but he’s poisonous!
Still, there was no harm in looking, hehe.
Her eyes remained fixed on him as the man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and returned his attention to the book.
From her angle, she had a perfect view of his distinctly jointed large hands, his jade-like slender fingers occasionally turning pages lightly, sometimes tapping idly on the desk.
Looking further up, she saw his smooth, pale neck and his transcendentally handsome face. The high-quality black python robe draped over his frame, its gold and silver embroidered collar slightly open, revealing a inner garment of the same color and his cool, fair skin.
This man—why did he wear black inside and out?
That night he caught her in the study, he’d been wearing black inner garments too. Had to admit, it was rather sexy…
As she watched, Shen Yue couldn’t help but gulp audibly.
The next moment, she met his stern gaze.
He looked up at the hole in the roof, the corners of his eyes lifting in a graceful arc, then his fingers twitched—
Something sliced through the air with a sharp “whoosh,” arriving swiftly.
Fortunately, Shen Yue moved quickly, dodging nimbly with a soft “swish” while reaching out to firmly grasp the incoming object.
The impact was so strong that her hand felt scorching hot. It took her a moment to recover before she opened her hand to examine it.
…It turned out to be a used tea leaf.