That faint, subtle fragrance wafted by her nose.
It felt as if the other person was right beside her.
Xiao Chenyan's body leaned forward a bit more. Qing Wu, enveloped in the Netherworld Lamp's eerie ghost fire, looked up and met his phoenix eyes.
Even though Xiao Chenyan was wearing night-blooming clothes and a black cloth mask, Qing Wu recognized him at a glance.
Although the Netherworld Lamp was lit, and Xiao Chenyan couldn't possibly see her, Qing Wu had a feeling that this man had sensed something.
Xiao Chenyan's gaze shifted slightly, and he turned towards the curio shelf.
Judge's Brush: "Why did he sneak in too? Could he also be looking for Yun Houxing's evidence of a crime?"
Qing Wu stared at Xiao Chenyan's retreating back. "Who knows."
She watched as Xiao Chenyan searched for something in front of the curio shelf, clearly with a plan. He crouched down, and just as his hand was about to touch an inconspicuous bamboo slip on the bottom right, a soft bird chirp sounded from outside.
This was the signal between him and his subordinates.
The guards who had been lured away had returned.
Xiao Chenyan sniffed that faint fragrance, his eyes darkening. Yun Qingwu, if you were also in this room, what would you do next?
His knuckles tapped the bamboo slip three times. Without hesitation, he got up and withdrew.
After Xiao Chenyan left, Qing Wu walked directly to the curio shelf. As she grabbed the bamboo slip, she noticed something was wrong. The bamboo slip couldn't be moved. She tried to turn it.
The sound of a mechanism turning softly echoed. The curio shelf split open, revealing a gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways. Clearly, there was a secret room inside.
Qing Wu let out a scoff. So he deliberately let it slip for her to see, that black-hearted Xiao Yantai.
Judge's Brush: "There's a secret room! How did Xiao Chenyan know? Wasn't this your family's place before?"
Qing Wu said as she walked inside, "I left the capital when I was ten in my previous life. I rarely came to the study. As for him... heh, I guess my eldest brother brought him in."
Her eldest brother, Yun Zheng, was about the same age as Xiao Chenyan. They were so close back then that they could wear the same pants. Let alone the secret room in the study, he probably knew every escape route in the estate.
The secret room wasn't large, but as soon as she entered, Qing Wu felt a sting in her eyes. It was packed to the brim.
Judge's Brush: "Good heavens! So much gold and silver! At least several hundred thousand taels. Officials in the Human Realm make so much money?!"
"Like a mouse in a rice bin, wouldn't it eat its fill?" Qing Wu scoffed. "Yun Houxing is the Minister of Revenue."
She ignored the gold and silver and went straight to a desk in a corner of the secret room. On it was a box, secured with several locks.
Qing Wu weighed it. Judging by its weight, it didn't seem to be made of gold or jade. Without a second thought, she decided to take the box with her first.
As for these treasures.
Heh, when she got back, she'd use a spell to move them, leaving not a single coin for that old dog Yun!
Qing Wu, holding the box in one hand and the lamp in the other, parted her red lips and blew out a cloud of ghost mist. The mist spread out, making the guards who had rushed back from outside the study dizzy.
She swaggered out of the secret room and left the study. She glanced towards the main hall, which was in chaos, and then left the Minister's Manor.
She hurried back to the Prince's Mansion, as if trying to get ahead of someone.
Upon returning to the Iris Courtyard, she removed the spell she had cast on Lu Qiao and Hong Rui. The two women yawned and woke up, completely unaware that they had been asleep, thinking it was just the blink of an eye.
Qing Wu's voice rang out from inside the room, "Prepare hot water. I want to bathe."
Hot water was always kept ready in the Master's room, so there was no need to wait long. Soon, the bathtub was carried into the side room, and bucket after bucket of hot water was added. Qing Wu said the hot water wasn't enough and asked the two women to boil some more.
After the two women left, she roughly opened the box. After examining its contents, she found a place to hide it, then took off her robes and soaked in the bathtub.
Judge's Brush: "The box contained account books? Looking at the dates, they don't seem related to the old matter you're investigating?"
"They aren't related, but they're enough to send Yun Houxing to his death."
These account books were evidence of Yun Houxing's corruption over the years.
No wonder it was hidden in a secret room and had so many locks.
"Was Xiao Chenyan sneaking into the Minister's Manor tonight to look for this?" the Judge's Brush asked. "Speaking of which, why did you rush back in such a hurry?"
Qing Wu squinted, enjoying herself in the hot water. "Naturally, I'm waiting for someone to come and ask me for it~"
As footsteps sounded outside, Qing Wu opened her beautiful eyes: They've arrived.
Without even waiting for the person outside to knock, she spoke first, "Come in."
The person outside hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open and entered.
Xiao Chenyan heard the voice coming from the side room. He lifted the curtain and went in, seeing the woman's slender, water-beaded hand reaching out from behind the screen. "I slept too long, I'm so tired. Come and give me a shoulder rub."
Xiao Chenyan immediately turned his back, frowned, and prepared to leave. Then he heard a splash, as if someone had gotten out of the water.
A surprised voice sounded from behind, "Your Highness?"
"I'll come back later. You don't need to come out," Xiao Chenyan said, preparing to leave.
A hand pulled his sleeve from behind, and her delicate body leaned into him. Just as his other hand was about to embrace his waist, Xiao Chenyan suddenly grabbed her wrist.
He turned his head to glance at her.
Qing Wu was wearing a light nightgown, her body still glistening with water vapor. Her smile was dazzling, filled with surprise. "His Highness visiting the Iris Courtyard so late at night, do you miss me?"
Xiao Chenyan's eyes darkened. "What does the Princess Consort think?"
"I think His Highness definitely misses me." Qing Wu walked around to face him, then embraced his neck. As she drew closer, she smelled the turbulent malevolent energy emanating from him.
A faint gleam flashed in her beautiful eyes.
The life-snatching malevolent energy on Xiao Chenyan was indeed troublesome. She had only helped him absorb some of it last night, and now it was surging again.
Perhaps it was due to the steam, but Xiao Chenyan felt the woman in his arms exuded a strong fragrance.
He was certain that this fragrance was the same as the one he had smelled in the study at the Minister's Manor, like snowflakes of the first snow, or the cold scent of irises in full bloom.
The moment he smelled this fragrance, the cold, malevolent energy surging within him seemed to freeze.
It even relaxed his taut nerves, but this relaxation was fleeting, making Xiao Chenyan even more curious.
During the day, his cold illness was alleviated. Was it truly related to her?
"Has the Princess Consort been at the estate all night?" He didn't push Qing Wu away. Instead, he casually gripped her waist.
Her waist was slender. His fingers landed on her spine. A cold glint flashed between his fingers, holding a one-inch sharp blade. With just a slight exertion of force, he could pierce into the gaps between her bones.
As he lowered his gaze, he met her eyes, which held a sly, fox-like smile.
"Otherwise?"
"Minister's Manor, study." Xiao Chenyan's words were pointed.
Qing Wu feigned ignorance, as if unaware of the danger. "Hmm? What happened to my maternal family?"
The fragrance emanating from her body was like a hook that captured the soul. Xiao Chenyan could clearly feel an endless abyss within his body craving the closeness of this scent.
However, he had always been determined and rational. The clearer he was about his desires and his body's abnormality, the more he restrained himself.
He merely tightened his grip on Qing Wu's slender waist.
Qing Wu hissed, scolding, "You're hurting me."
Xiao Chenyan was somewhat annoyed by his body's abnormality. He hated being led around by the nose and was impatient to continue playing along with Qing Wu.
"Yun Qingwu, are you going to keep acting like this with this King?"
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