“Don’t come looking for me anymore,” Zhi Wan said angrily.
“This is my territory. It seems you’re the one who came looking for me,” the man reminded her calmly without even looking up.
Zhi Wan was left speechless.
She wandered idly around the study and was about to pull a book from the shelf when suddenly, her waist was seized.
By the time she realized what was happening, she had already been lifted onto the desk.
The man’s slender, elegant fingers lifted her chin. “Why are you so temperamental?”
“This lady has always had this temper. If you can’t stand it, you can leave!” Zhi Wan slapped his hand away, raising her chin haughtily.
“Lady?” the man’s voice was teasing. “You can’t be that old, can you?”
Zhi Wan paused. He was trying to fish for her age, and she wasn’t about to fall for it.
Seeing her remain silent, the man’s gaze suddenly fell on her full chest, as if assessing something.
Noticing his stare, Zhi Wan’s face flushed. She quickly covered herself with both hands, her cheeks reddening as she tried to maintain her composure. “Don’t look where you shouldn’t. Don’t you know that?”
The man didn’t respond. Instead, he pinched her chin and kissed her.
Still holding a grudge from earlier, Zhi Wan suddenly opened her mouth and bit him unceremoniously.
The man grunted in pain, tightening his grip around her waist. What had been a gentle kiss suddenly turned fierce.
Zhi Wan’s initial smugness was quickly replaced by panic.
Pressed against the desk by the man, she was kissed into a daze.
Suddenly, the study door was knocked. The man paused and turned toward the door.
At the same time, in Yaoguang Pavilion, Zhi Wan woke up.
Remembering what had happened in the dream, her face flushed red, and then her brows furrowed tightly.
How strange—why had she dreamed of that man during the day today?
She had only dozed off for a moment before falling into the dream.
Although she often dreamed of that man when sleeping at night over the past six months, she never had such dreams during her afternoon naps.
She didn’t understand what triggered these dreams.
Sometimes, she wouldn’t have such dreams for ten days or even half a month, while other times, she would have them for several nights in a row.
The key was that the scenes felt incredibly real. Even though she couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, she was certain it was the same man in every dream.
At times, she could hardly tell what was reality and what was a dream.
…
Qingyun Residence, Study.
Lu Zhan put on the official robe he had taken off and hung over the chair back during his afternoon nap, straightened the hem, and then said in a deep voice, “Enter.”
His personal guard, Chen Jiu, walked in. “Young Master, the Ministry of Justice just sent over a case file. They went to the Dali Temple but couldn’t find you there, so they brought it here.”
“Understood.” As Lu Zhan took the file, he regained his usual clarity and seriousness.
Recently, the Ministry of Justice had received a bizarre case reported by local officials. After reviewing it, the Ministry had forwarded the file to the Dali Temple for re-examination.
After reading it, Lu Zhan instructed Chen Jiu, “Go find Ouyang Shaoqing.”
“Yes.” Chen Jiu accepted the order and left.
By the time Ouyang Lei arrived, Lu Zhan had already finished reviewing the case.
Holding a teacup, he stood by the window in deep thought. His dark lashes were slightly lowered, half-concealing his pitch-black pupils. His thin lips were pressed together, exuding an air of restrained asceticism—profound and inscrutable, revealing nothing.
Ouyang Lei yawned as he entered, immediately complaining, “Two nights in a row staying up all night with you to handle cases, and I’d only just closed my eyes for a moment when your people rushed me here in a panic. Even if I were made of iron, I couldn’t withstand this.”
Lu Zhan’s cool brows held a trace of weariness. Ignoring Ouyang Lei’s complaints, he turned and walked over, his tone light as he said, “Once we’re through this busy period, I’ll give you half a month off.”
Ouyang Lei raised an eyebrow. “Such good fortune?”
Lu Zhan’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly, his expression unreadable. He gave a faint acknowledgment, set the teacup on the table, then walked to the desk and sat down. Picking up the case file, he handed it over. “Take a look at this first.”
Ouyang Lei, thinking of the half-month break, perked up, feeling that Lu Zhan had finally developed a conscience.
But after reading the file, he felt anything but good.
He looked at Lu Zhan warily. “You’re not thinking of sending me to Xuzhou, are you?”
Lu Zhan lifted his eyelids to glance at him. His well-defined fingers tapped lightly on the table as he said in a low voice, “This case is suspicious. The local authorities have provided evidence pointing to a retired soldier who was passing through the town and staying at the inn as the one who killed the innkeeper. However, after the innkeeper’s death, no valuables were missing. According to the waiter’s account, the soldier had no conflict with the innkeeper when he checked in; in fact, they got along well and drank several pots of wine together.
I believe the soldier had no motive to kill the innkeeper. Yet the innkeeper died from a single stab wound, and the soldier’s dagger was stained with blood. Moreover, the soldier signed a confession. There may be more to this story. To avoid an unjust execution, I want to reinvestigate this matter, so I’ve decided to send you to verify the details.”
Ouyang Lei’s legs went weak. No wonder he suddenly offered half a month off—he was setting him up for this.
Pointing to the dark circles under his eyes, he said with a pitiful expression, “Boss, have some pity on your brother. If I don’t get proper rest soon, I’ll die young. Investigating this matter doesn’t have to be me; someone else could go.”
Lu Zhan glanced at him and said unhurriedly, “No one else is up to the task for this investigation. Besides, if you visited the brothels less often, you wouldn’t be so worn out.”
Ouyang Lei: “…”
“On the way to Xuzhou, you’ll travel by water. You can rest well on the boat,” Lu Zhan added.
Ouyang Lei: “…”
Seeing there was no room for negotiation, he compromised, “I’ll go, but when I return, you must keep your promise and give me half a month off.”
“Naturally,” Lu Zhan nodded in agreement.
Only then did Ouyang Lei reluctantly pick up the file and read it again.
He then scoffed, “The innkeeper was over fifty, but his wife was only in her early twenties. And she returned to her parents’ home just before the innkeeper’s death. What a coincidence! Could this have something to do with the innkeeper’s wife?”
Lu Zhan nodded. “When you arrive in Xuzhou, you can start by investigating the innkeeper’s wife.”
Ouyang Lei nodded, put away the file, and his expression grew serious. “No time to waste. I’ll set off as soon as possible!”
“Mm, take a few more people with you. Be careful on the road!” Lu Zhan reminded him.
In the evening, Wei Shi brought Nanny Fang to the study.
“Wasn’t Lei here this afternoon? Why did he leave so quickly?”
“I sent him to investigate a case,” Lu Zhan replied.
“I was going to say, have him come join the flower-viewing banquet the day after tomorrow,” Wei Shi muttered under her breath.
Lu Zhan’s eyelids twitched, and a sudden sense of foreboding washed over him. “What flower-viewing banquet?”
Wei Shi shot him a glance, ignoring his question, and instead said with displeasure, “I had already arranged for you to meet the young lady from the Lin family today, but you didn’t come back for two days straight.”
Lu Zhan’s brows furrowed slightly. “I said I don’t want to marry yet.”
“A few years ago, you said the same thing, and now it’s been delayed for years,” Wei Shi retorted irritably. She picked up a robe from the tray in Nanny Fang’s hands. “This robe was chosen for you today by Wan’er and me at Brocade Tower. Try it on. If it doesn’t fit, we can still send it for alterations in time.”
“What do you mean by ‘in time’?” Lu Zhan remained seated, his cool gaze fixed on his mother.