Over the next few days, Zhu Qingyu did not step out of her cabin. Not only did she stop going to the study to accompany Gu Zhao while he worked, but she even stopped eating with him. She had all three of her daily meals alone in her cabin.
Gu Zhao was left all alone every day, eating, working, and sleeping in cold solitude, returning to the routine he had before he ever met her.
In truth, Gu Zhao had always been alone no matter what he did in the past, and he had never felt there was anything wrong with it.
But in just a few short days, she had become a habit he couldn't shake. She was everywhere he looked, always within arm's reach. He was now addicted and could no longer endure the bleak and miserable loneliness of being by himself.
The books on the shelves in the study had been swapped out. During their last stop at the ferry crossing, the retainer had been ordered to buy them. Following the bookstore owner's recommendations, he had purchased the most popular storybooks currently favored by wives and young ladies.
When the retainer first brought the books into the study, Gu Zhao casually picked up a few to flip through.
The pages were filled with nothing but passionate love, lingering romance, sweet whispers, and erotic scenes.
Seeing that His Lordship looked displeased, the retainer quickly said:
"His Lordship, the popular storybooks among the common folk these days are all like this. If His Lordship feels they are inappropriate, should I exchange them for books from the government academies?"
The books from the government academies were all printed to educate the masses, filled entirely with grand moral principles. Based on Gu Zhao's observations over the past few days, she would not like them at all.
In the end, Gu Zhao only said:
"Just leave them for now."
And so, several boxes of unrefined, lowbrow storybooks—books that would absolutely never have appeared in Gu Zhao's line of sight before—now forcefully occupied half the space on the bookshelves. They took up so much room that many of his own books had nowhere to go, to the point where his beloved highbrow literature had to be packed away.
Yet, despite buying all these books specifically for her, they had sat there untouched; no one had flipped through them since.
Sometimes, halfway through his work, Gu Zhao would habitually look toward the window to see if she had fallen asleep again. Only when he saw the empty chaise longue would he remember how she had cried and accused him that day. They had essentially torn away all pretenses, and she was no longer willing to come, refusing to spare him even a sliver of false affection.
Gu Zhao summoned Momo to ask:
"How is Doctor Zhu doing?"
Momo had only been attending Zhu Qingyu for a few days and had not yet figured out her temperament, nor had she figured out Vice Minister Gu's temper. She answered truthfully:
"Doctor Zhu is in low spirits. She is listless all day and just sleeps."
Gu Zhao was very worried. It had been so many days; how had she still not come around?
He was deeply concerned that if she continued to languish alone like this and let her imagination run wild at night, she might take things too hard and do something drastic.
During this period, Gu Zhao had never dared to push Zhu Qingyu to the absolute brink, precisely for this reason.
In this world, there was ultimately something more powerful than overwhelming authority, something that not even the most exalted Emperor could defy.
This power was something that anyone, from high-ranking officials and nobles down to the common people, could wield.
And that was: life and death.
Gu Zhao instructed Momo to have people move his everyday belongings from the room he was currently staying in back to her cabin.
Seeing Momo and the maids bringing Gu Zhao's things back, Zhu Qingyu did not express any opinion. Instead, she asked Momo to prepare water for a bath and told the maids to prepare fresh nightclothes for her to change into.
After Momo and the others had arranged Gu Zhao's things, they came back to report.
Gu Zhao asked:
"How is Doctor Zhu doing? Did she lose her temper? Did she throw my things out?"
Momo used to serve in wealthy households and had seen a lot. She had seen all kinds of favored and arrogant concubines, naturally including those arrogant enough to throw the master's belongings out and lock him out of the room.
Therefore, when Gu Zhao asked this, the highly professional Momo was not surprised at all. She thought to herself that this must be the dynamic between Vice Minister Gu and Doctor Zhu, and replied calmly,
"No, Doctor Zhu has ordered to bathe and change clothes."
Knowing perfectly well that he had his things moved back because he intended to stay the night, she actually wanted to bathe and change. Hearing this, Gu Zhao not only failed to feel any romantic anticipation, but even had an ominous premonition.
He would rather she lose her temper and throw his things out, rather she be full of life even if it meant cursing at him, than see her looking so depressed and bent on seeking death.
Since she was bathing and changing, Gu Zhao did not go back immediately. He picked up a book in the study to kill some time.
After a while, when the Momos came to report that Doctor Zhu was ready and invited Vice Minister Gu over, Gu Zhao's eyelid twitched. He looked at the book in his hands and realized that a perfectly good Buddhist scripture meant to calm the mind—the very one she had read before—had been crumpled beyond recognition by his hands.
Gu Zhao returned to the cabin. Zhu Qingyu was wearing a thin nightgown, her hair hanging loose, sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him.
The nightgown was made of a gauze-like material. Under the evening candlelight, the woman's beautiful figure was faintly visible, exuding a breathtaking allure.
When Gu Zhao entered the cabin and saw her like this, for a moment, he felt as if he had fallen into a dream, his head spinning.
He must be dreaming again. Only in a dream would she look like this, Gu Zhao thought in disbelief.
Seeing him enter, Zhu Qingyu went up to him and reached for his waist to untie his belt.
Gu Zhao finally came to his senses and grabbed her hand.
"What are you doing?"
Zhu Qingyu looked up at him expressionlessly.
"My injuries are healed. I can serve you now."
Gu Zhao's heart pounded wildly. Still holding her hand tightly, he said,
"There's no need for this. I just came to see you."
Zhu Qingyu, still expressionless, stood on her tiptoes, tilted her face up, and kissed his chin. Then, she trailed light, fleeting kisses down from his chin all the way to Gu Zhao's Adam's apple.
Gu Zhao froze instantly and subconsciously swallowed. It was as if a grand display of fireworks was exploding across the heavens and earth within his mind, blowing his thoughts into ruins. His thinking slowed down, and he even lost the strength to hold her hands.
By the time he reacted, Zhu Qingyu had already broken free from his grasp, untied his belt, and peeled off his outer robe.
In just that brief moment, Gu Zhao was practically stripped of his clothes in a daze.
With her back to him, Zhu Qingyu carried his outer robe toward the clothing rack. She slipped her hand into the hidden pocket of the front lapel, pulled out the contents, and took a quick glance.
It was the key. She found it!
Zhu Qingyu did not take the key. Acting as if nothing had happened, she hastily slipped it back inside. She placed his outer robe on the rack, then took off her own gauze-like outer layer and folded it right next to his clothes.
She was acting entirely out of character today. Before Gu Zhao could even manage to stop her from undressing, Zhu Qingyu had already turned away. Clad only in a delicate chemise and undershorts, she walked over to the bed without so much as a glance in his direction. She lay down on the inner side of the mattress, leaving the blankets untouched, and softly closed her eyes.
In the flickering candlelight, her figure appeared exquisitely graceful in the flimsy undergarments, highlighting a remarkably slender waist. The wide expanse of her exposed skin was as smooth as creamy jade, so dazzlingly fair that it seemed to emit a soft, ethereal glow. She lay there, the very picture of sweet surrender, waiting to be claimed.
