To search for official documents in Gu Zhao's study, she needed a legitimate excuse to stay there for an extended period.
Zhu Qingyu plotted in her heart, but her face remained impassive. Without hesitation, she picked up a brush and wrote down her hometown address and her father's name.
As she wrote, Gu Zhao observed her closely. Seeing her writing flow smoothly without the slightest pause, he felt a bit more trust in her words.
After all, if she didn't know the address and name by heart, she couldn't have made it up so flawlessly on the spot.
Gu Zhao summoned Xiong Kun and instructed him right in front of Zhu Qingyu:
"Arrange for someone to disembark at the next ferry crossing and head to Shu. Follow this address to find Doctor Zhu's family, and then bring Doctor Zhu's family to the capital to settle them down."
As if sensing Zhu Qingyu's inner anxiety, Gu Zhao spoke in a tone that was half comforting and half threatening after Xiong Kun left:
"Qingyu, I don't want you living in constant fear, but there are some things we must agree on beforehand. I don't want to use underhanded methods on you, but you had better not play tricks on me either. Since I promised you regarding your father's post, I will definitely get it done. If Zhang Jingyan is truly your cousin, I won't promise much else, but I can at least save his life for you. However, you must promise me that you will have no further contact with him. Not only must there be no romantic involvement, but all familial ties must be severed as well; you are not even allowed to see him again. I can do what I promised you, and I hope you can do what you promise me. Can you do that?"
A heavy stone was lifted from her chest. The heart that had been in her throat for Zhang Shen since she woke up this morning finally settled.
At the very least, until the people Gu Zhao arranged returned to the capital to report back, Zhang Shen's life was safe.
Of course, the people sent to find her family would naturally find no one, and would ultimately return empty-handed.
But the roads to Shu were notoriously difficult to travel, harder than ascending to the heavens. There were no high-speed trains in this era. Traveling from Jiangnan to Shu and then from Shu back to the capital, even if the journey went smoothly, would take nearly a year round trip.
Trading space for time, she now had at least a year to resolve her current predicament, which was much better than facing an immediate dead end.
Having finally secured his promise, Zhu Qingyu, worried he might go back on his word, immediately replied with absolute certainty:
"I can. No contact, no meetings, I will cut all ties with him. Repaying you, getting used to you, and getting along well with you—I can do all of that."
Gu Zhao was a powerful minister with real duties, and having just handled a massive case involving illegal salt, he was swamped with official affairs. He didn't have the time to immerse himself in romantic trivialities all day like some idle playboy.
Therefore, after arranging for someone to fetch Zhu Qingyu's relatives and reaching an agreement with her, Gu Zhao, who still had many official documents to process in the afternoon, said to Zhu Qingyu:
"You should feel at ease now, right? You must be tired too, so go rest for now and join me for dinner tonight. I have arranged four maids and four older female servants for you. They are all prepared for your use; if you need anything done, just ask them. If they aren't to your liking, don't just tolerate it—tell me, and I will arrange better ones for you. Since you are with me, I will never let you suffer such grievances."
If she just went back like this, it would be difficult to find a suitable opportunity to visit his study later without arousing his suspicion.
Hence, Zhu Qingyu did not leave immediately. Instead, she probed:
"Can I stay here and keep you company?"
Gu Zhao was somewhat surprised:
"You want to stay and keep me company?"
Zhu Qingyu lowered her eyes, a blush creeping up her cheeks. As if her own words embarrassed her, she said shyly:
"I know you treat me well. I promised to repay you, so naturally, I must keep my word. I also want to spend more time with you, to get used to you sooner and get along well with you."
Seeing her shy and timid expression, Gu Zhao's heart fluttered endlessly. He thought to himself:
"She must be feeding me an enchanting potion again."
But so what? As long as she brewed it, even if it was a potion to bewitch his mind, it would still be endlessly delicious, and he would gladly drink it.
Right now, her feelings for him might just be false pretenses, but over time, acting it out day by day, spending time together day by day, even what was fake would become real.
As long as she was willing to stay by his side, he could give her time.
A gentle smile spread across Gu Zhao's face:
"Alright, then stay and keep me company. Starting now, we will get used to each other and get along well."
Gu Zhao needed to process official documents, and Zhu Qingyu volunteered to grind ink for him.
Although having a beautiful woman grinding ink by his side was a delightful pleasure, and on any normal day Gu Zhao wouldn't mind enjoying such an intimate boudoir romance.
But seeing the bandages wrapped around her hands, Gu Zhao changed his mind. He pulled her over to sit beside him and said:
"It's not like my hands are broken; I don't need a patient to grind ink for me. Just sit here peacefully. I'll have someone bring you some afternoon tea and pastries."
Haste makes waste. Zhu Qingyu hadn't expected to make her move to search for the documents today anyway. She needed to cultivate a habit first, letting him get used to her presence in his study.
Therefore, Zhu Qingyu behaved exceptionally well. After the older female servant brought the tea and pastries, she simply sat to the side, ignoring everything else, and focused entirely on eating her snacks.
When Gu Zhao processed official documents alone, he was always completely focused. He never kept such things in his study, much less ate in there, as it would affect his efficiency.
Although Zhu Qingyu was very careful not to make a single sound, perhaps because she looked so earnest while eating, Gu Zhao simply couldn't concentrate today. He couldn't help but look at her, and once he did, he was mesmerized.
His mind wandered wildly, imagining that an ordinary afternoon like this might become their daily life in the future. Just thinking about it made Gu Zhao zone out.
When he snapped back to reality, he found that the strokes of the character he was writing on the document were miles apart. Gu Zhao hurriedly focused his mind again, forcing himself to calm down.
However, it wasn't very effective. Not long after calming down, Gu Zhao's gaze couldn't help but fall on her again.
Being stared at with such a burning gaze so many times, Zhu Qingyu naturally noticed. Looking up, she saw Lord Gu staring at the iced red bean drink in her bowl. Thinking he wanted some, she asked:
"Shouming, do you want to eat some?"
If he wanted some, she could just have the servant bring another bowl. On this ship, he was the highest authority, and everyone revolved around him. A bowl of iced drink was no difficult task at all.
Gu Zhao did not have the habit of eating while working on official business, but hearing her say this, he played along and said:
"What are you eating? Bring it over and let me see."
Zhu Qingyu walked over holding the bowl and presented it to him:
"It's an iced red bean drink, do you want some? Besides red beans, you can also add fruit. The ship even has ice, so fruit should..."
Halfway through her sentence, Zhu Qingyu stopped.
Because Gu Zhao took the spoon she had been using, scooped up a bite, and ate it just like that. As he ate, he stared at her intently and smiled:
"Delicious indeed. No wonder you were eating it with such relish."
It was the spoon she had used.
But the two of them had just kissed anyway.
The image of him pressing her against the bed and kissing her suddenly rushed into her mind. Realizing what had just happened with delayed clarity, Zhu Qingyu stiffened slightly and replied,
"Shall I have the nanny bring you another bowl?"
Gu Zhao continued to smile. His gaze drifted from her face down to her bodice, which she was now clutching tightly shut. Recalling the tantalizing glimpse of her bare skin from moments ago, he purposely changed the subject and asked,
"Qingyu, how many days will it take for your injury to heal?"
