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墨書 Inktalez
Qing Wu entered the room and, before she could take a closer look, her gaze met two pairs of bright eyes.
The tension was palpable in the dimly lit room, where the flickering candlelight made the two swollen faces stand out even more strikingly.
Qing Wu shifted her gaze and surveyed the interior.
The air was thick with the smell of blood. On the floor, there were dark red stains, with faint traces of moisture left by recently wiped clean water.
She pressed her lips together and paused slightly in her steps.
Huo Yun'ai tensed up all over.
His mouth felt dry, and his throat was constricted. Just as he was about to step forward, the girl seemed oblivious to the unusual atmosphere around her and walked straight up to them, stopping just six feet away.
Then, she casually glanced over their tattered clothing and the varying depths of their wounds, slightly tilted her head, and nodded to Disciplinary Matron beside her.
Disciplinary Matron understood and stepped forward to remove the cloths stuffed in their mouths.
Their lips moved slightly, but ultimately they feared Huo Yun'ai, not daring to make a sound.
Qing Wu looked around before finally resting her gaze on the wall that had fewer bloodstains and no torture instruments, asking, “What do you know about Jade Orchid?”
Zhu Minran had never even heard of Jade Orchid. He could only shake his head.
Zheng Young Master opened his mouth but found he couldn't speak. He cleared his throat and cautiously glanced at Huo Yun'ai, then hoarsely said, “She is... father...” He swayed slightly and shook his head. “He is Zheng An'an’s□□.”
“And what else?” Qing Wu looked at him. Upon meeting his swollen eyelids and bloodshot eyes, she struggled to maintain her calm demeanor and steadied her voice as she asked, “What exactly did she come to the palace for?”
After hearing Cai Ping mention Jade Orchid, Qing Wu had felt something was off but couldn't quite figure it out.
It wasn't until a few days ago when she overheard Azalea reprimanding a maid that everything clicked into place regarding what had gone wrong.
At that time, while practicing calligraphy in her room, Azalea had said to the tearful maid, “Aren't you from the Bathhouse? You can clean by yourself without needing anyone's help, can't you?”
The palace maid choked back her tears and replied hesitantly, "Um."
"Then why didn't you clean properly? Instead, you went to play with pebbles in the yard?"
"I... I thought the cleaning was almost done, so..."
"What do you mean 'almost'? Clearly, you are slacking off. You took on the task but didn't do it!"
Azalea was annoyed and said angrily, "If you can't do it, someone else will. Yet you insist on taking it on and then slacking off. Go and face the consequences!"
With that, she threw the curtain aside and entered the room, still wearing an angry expression, muttering, "These lazy people. I wonder where they learned to act one way and do another."
Qing Wu had originally intended not to get angry with those people. It was better to just change things.
However, Azalea's words startled her, and she suddenly understood where that sense of incongruity came from.
Jade Orchid had always acted as if she were trying to entice the emperor, wanting to be close to him.
If that were the case, how could she dare to engage with others?
If Cai Ping could notice that Jade Orchid had someone special, then how could Zheng An not know? If he knew, how could he not punish someone who disregarded his orders and continued to act recklessly relying on his power?
It truly was a case of saying one thing on the surface while doing another entirely in private.
There must be something more to Jade Orchid's situation.
Yet Qing Wu couldn't figure out the reason behind it. Thus, she asked at that moment.
In the flickering candlelight, Zheng Young Master's expression was unclear.
But he clearly paused for a moment and responded with a question that didn't address hers: "You came here for this matter?"
Qing Wu was worried because that matter was unresolved. Since she couldn't find an answer here, the subsequent related doubts were even more impossible to clarify.
She impatiently asked Zheng Young Master, "Or is it something else?"
Zheng Young Master lowered his gaze and remained silent. His swollen, painful eyelids twitched, but inside, a storm was brewing.
He initially thought Qing Wu was going to inquire about that day's events. Who would have guessed it was something else...
He knew a little about Jade Orchid. She was a pawn his father had placed in the palace. The rest was unknown to him.
However, he knew that the woman was there for the Emperor and had nothing to do with Liu Young Lady.
Thus, the girl before him had gone through so much trouble just for the Emperor, rather than for her own matters from that day...
The Emperor had sternly warned both of them because of her. This girl, for the Emperor's sake, came to see him this time, only asking about Jade Orchid and neglecting her own affairs.
These two people, how were they so different from those of the Zheng Family and Zhu Family!
They were not; they were two ungrateful individuals who completely disregarded their feelings!
Why did they care so much for each other?
Were such people truly heartless and ungrateful?!
Zheng Young Master's chest rose and fell violently.
A thought that had been hidden in his heart suddenly could no longer be contained and burst forth uncontrollably.
Therefore, he had no time to think further and instinctively bowed his head heavily against the ground. After catching his breath for a moment, he said word by word, "I beg you to accept me. I am willing to serve you for life, assisting you in uncovering the truth of that matter."
Zhu Minran's gaze flickered intensely.
Qing Wu found his sudden action amusing and said nonchalantly, "You looked down on me before, yet now you're willing to serve me. The credibility of this statement... is rather low."
"I was foolish before and did not understand. Now I have gained clarity."
"Is that so?" Qing Wu smiled faintly, "If you are willing to be a servant, then learn how to refer to yourself first."
She would not forget how these people always targeted her and how they plotted against Huo Yun'ai, wishing for nothing more than to take Huo Yun'ai's life.
Want her to trust him? That was...
"I beg Lord Liu to accept this servant."
The sudden, gritted statement made Qing Wu pause in her steps as she was about to leave.
She turned back in disbelief, looking at the young man who was bowing on the ground, his posture respectful yet humble.
For the first time, when he spoke again, it wasn't as difficult as she had imagined. Zheng Young Master was able to relax a bit when he repeated himself.
"I beg you to accept this servant. This servant is willing to be your ox or horse. I only ask for a place to stay by your side."
"You've gone mad!" Zhu Minran disregarded Huo Yun'ai's earlier warning and struggled to move her swollen lips, forcing her swollen eyes wide open as she looked at the young man beside her, buzzing, "You are begging her?"
The eldest legitimate grandson of the Zheng Family, a refined and elegant young man, had unknowingly made countless noble ladies in the Capital City infatuated with him. Yet now he was bowing and begging for mercy in front of such a delicate girl who could be crushed with a single hand!
How could she accept that!
Hearing Zhu Minran's words, Zheng Young Master nearly slapped her on the spot. Unable to move his limbs, he opened his mouth and spat at Zhu Minran with all his might. He wished he could knock some sense into her head, making her wake up and see the current reality.
The attitudes of the Zheng Family and Zhu Family made it clear that they were already "dead" in this world.
They were no longer themselves.
They no longer existed!
He thought his heart had turned to dead water. But as these thoughts flooded back into his mind, his heart twisted painfully deep within his bones.
However, it was those people who made them do these things.
Now, those who have abandoned them are those people!
Those...
The ones they regarded as closest to them...
He saw it. Just now, when she entered the room, that girl even slightly nodded to the guard who opened the door for her.
Someone who treats those standing beside her with such courtesy should not be too malicious. At the very least...
He curled his lips, revealing a grim smile.
At the very least, she is much more conscientious than the Zheng Family...
With his mind made up, the Zheng Young Master bowed his head again and said firmly, "I beg Lord Liu to accept this servant!"
A glimmer of light suddenly vanished from Zhu Minran's eyes as she screamed hoarsely, "Are you crazy!" She shook her body violently, the chains beside her clattering, "Do you know what it means to enter the palace as a slave?"
"Shut up!" The Zheng Young Master clenched his fists and said coldly.
—As a man, he understood how to stay in the palace to work. He was also clear about what these things meant to him.
But even so, he had to move forward step by step.
Being betrayed by the father he respected most since childhood, that feeling of wanting to eat his flesh and drink his blood could truly torment a person to death!
The gentle gaze of the young man from before gradually radiated intense hatred.
Huo Yun'ai saw this and knew he had become almost possessed by hatred. Such a person who can bend and stretch can indeed be utilized. If sculpted well, he could become a sharp blade.
However, whether such a servant can be controlled by his master is another matter. If not, it could lead to backlash.
The girl remained silent for a while.
Huo Yun'ai knew that Qing Wu was always cautious. At this moment, she was probably weighing the pros and cons of the matter. She simply gestured to the Disciplinary Matron, signaling her to silence Zhu Minran.
After that, he quietly waited for the girl's final decision.
If she agreed, he would send someone to protect her. If she refused, he would find a way to make use of this person.
A long time passed.
So long that everyone thought the girl was going to refuse.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, a soft and delicate voice slowly echoed in the quiet room.
"Okay."
Just a simple word sealed the deal.
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