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Seeing Chen Yuanyuan so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open, Song Qingshu said to her, “Your internal injuries have just healed…you need to rest for a while. I’m not sure why Huang Shang wanted to kill you, so stay here to recover for now.”
“Mm~” Chen Yuanyuan gazed at him with tender affection. Logically, she should hate this man, yet for some reason she couldn’t muster any hatred…only overwhelming shyness.
*I wonder how many w0men he’s defiled to develop such skill…making people feel like they’re dying one moment and being reborn the next.* Thinking of that wicked finger, her cheeks burned.
She silently scolded herself: *I thought he truly cherished me, but he’s no different from other men…just as consumed by lu$t.*
But then she shook her head with a soft sigh: *To be fair, my b0dy is too sensitive. Under those circumstances, any man would lose control.*
Recalling how her legs had clamped around him as she trembled, Chen Yuanyuan wished she could disappear into the floor. *Years of cultivation, ruined in an instant…all my discipline, and yet I had no willpower at all.*
“He’s not like other men, only thinking about taking me to bed…” Savoring the gentleness of his fingers, Chen Yuanyuan felt herself drifting. Soon, fatigue overtook her, and she fell asleep.
Li Yuanzhi pulled Song Qingshu aside, nodding toward the bed: “What’s wrong with this woman? One moment she’s all sad, the next she’s laughing to herself for no reason?”
“Ahem…” Song Qingshu answered guiltily, “She’s just recovered from a serious injury…it’s normal to see some hallucinations.”
“Oh~” Li Yuanzhi nodded vaguely, then pouted, “I don’t want to stay with this woman.”
Song Qingshu sighed: “But I’m too conspicuous in Lin’an…everyone’s watching me. If I take her out of the palace, she’ll be discovered.”
Li Yuanzhi pouted: “Do we have to keep her? Why not just send her back?”
He looked surprised: “She’s special…a valuable asset. I can’t just let her go. I haven’t figured out how to maximize her value yet, so I’ll leave her here with you for now. The safest place is the most dangerous place…no one will think she’s still in the palace.”
“Are you sure it’s not just because she’s beautiful?” Li Yuanzhi asked suspiciously.
“Of course not!” He answered a little guiltily, quickly changing the subject: “Keeping her here gives you a safeguard. The reason I came to the palace was because I was worried about the eunuch who delivered poison wine the other night…I was afraid it would happen again. With Chen Yuanyuan here, if you’re in danger, you can use her as a shield to buy time until I can rescue you.”
“Alright, fine.” Li Yuanzhi agreed reluctantly.
“Take care of her during this time.” Song Qingshu glanced at the sky, seeing it was getting late. “Yuanzhi, Zhao Gou is hosting a banquet for me tonight. I need to get back to the inn now…if they can’t find me and connect me to the palace assassin, that would be bad.”
“Mm, take care of yourself, Brother Song.” Li Yuanzhi straightened his clothes, then reluctantly said goodbye.
Song Qingshu slipped out of the palace and returned to the inn, where the Honglu Temple officials were indeed frantically looking for him. Seeing him, they wailed: “Oh, my ancestors! Where have you been? The banquet is about to start…we’ve been searching everywhere!”
Song Qingshu shrugged indifferently: “It hasn’t started yet, has it?”
The official nearly fainted: “No, but we need to arrive first! Would you have His Majesty sit around waiting for us?”
Seeing he was about to go on, Song Qingshu cut him off: “Alright, alright…I’m back now. Let me change clothes and we’ll go.” With that, he went back into his room and closed the door.
He needed to change for two reasons. First, he’d been so close to Chen Yuanyuan that his clothes were saturated with her scent…he didn’t want to raise suspicion. Second, he’d crossed paths with Huang Shang in the palace earlier. Though he’d worn a mask, Huang Shang would recognize his clothes. Song Qingshu was always careful, and he wouldn’t make such an obvious mistake.
He wadded up the discarded clothes, channeled pure yang internal energy through his palms, and the garments turned to ash. Only then did he leave to join the Honglu Temple officials on their way to the palace.
He noticed significantly more guards than during the day and knew it was because of his afternoon commotion, but paid it no mind as he followed the officials toward the banquet hall.
After walking for a while, he sensed something and looked up. A woman in a light-yellow robe was approaching…about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, graceful and strikingly beautiful, though her face was so pale it lacked any color.
The Honglu Temple official brightened at the sight and rushed forward to bow.
The yellow-robed woman waved dismissively: “You may go. I’ll escort Young Master Song to the banquet.” Her voice was cold and distant, yet still pleasant to the ear.
The official hesitated, then nodded and took his leave.
Once he was out of sight, Song Qingshu smiled: “Seems you have quite the influence. Should I call you Miss Yang or Miss Zhao?” The woman before him was, of course, the Yellow-Robed Maiden he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“My influence has always been considerable…you’re the only one who doesn’t take me seriously,” she said, shooting him a glance. Having spent so much time together in the Jin palace, they were familiar with each other’s temperament. “As for Miss Yang or Miss Zhao…I believe I told you before.”
Song Qingshu shrugged: “I’m a busy man…how am I supposed to remember everything?”
The Yellow-Robed Maiden, usually calm and composed, felt her teeth itch at his words. But quickly recovering, she smiled: “You haven’t changed at all.”
“Tch…I’ve changed a lot. I almost died recently. When I was in dire straits, you didn’t come to help. Some friend you are.” Song Qingshu curled his lip.
Her expression turned apologetic: “I’m sorry…I was in the Western Regions at the time on business. By the time I heard about your troubles, it was long past.”
If any of the Southern Song scholars had seen this, their jaws would have dropped. The academy’s holy maiden, who never showed favor to anyone, was speaking so softly and pleadingly to a young man!
Song Qingshu smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
The Yellow-Robed Maiden stamped her foot and caught up to him, pouting: “I originally came to demand an explanation from you, but you’ve turned the tables and questioned me first.”
Song Qingshu blinked: “What explanation?”
She huffed: “I heard someone wants to take two of our Great Song princesses home as concubines. Quite the bold claim.”
“So you’re defending your sisters,” Song Qingshu laughed. “But before you defend them, can you first pay back what you owe me?”