When Zhu Qingyu hid the key under her pillow that day, she had originally planned to fool Gu Zhao, regroup, and find an opportunity to visit the study again.
But later, she became delirious from the fever. Let alone fooling Gu Zhao, she wasn't even fully conscious and completely forgot about the key. By the time her fever broke and she regained her senses, Gu Zhao had already taken the key back.
She had been just one step away, only to fall short at the final hurdle.
Gu Zhao felt that she had played with his heart, sending him to heaven one moment and down to hell the next, and he was absolutely furious about it.
But for Zhu Qingyu, having exhausted her mind time and time again just to see this case file, only to fail, her emotions had also been on a rollercoaster of extreme highs and lows, leaving her deeply devastated.
This was exactly why Zhu Qingyu had been so mentally exhausted these past few days.
Now that Gu Zhao had taken the initiative to bring the box over, triggering her main objective once again, Zhu Qingyu instantly perked up and reignited her fighting spirit.
You useless thing!
You're here enjoying good food and drink, while who knows what kind of suffering Zhang Jingyan is enduring right now!
What devastation? What exhaustion? Get up and fight!
Full of fighting spirit, Zhu Qingyu rushed to the box, ready to catch Gu Zhao off guard. She reached out to open it, intending to snatch the case file and read it first.
As for everything else, who cares? As long as she could grab it, once she read it, could he really force her to un-see it?
However, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, Gu Zhao anticipated her move. The moment Zhu Qingyu's hand touched the box, Gu Zhao reached out and pressed his hand down over hers, pinning it against the box.
Zhu Qingyu looked up at him, and Gu Zhao looked down at her.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
Forget it, she was at his mercy right now; bowing her head first wasn't shameful.
Zhu Qingyu smiled gently and used her other hand to hold Gu Zhao's hand that rested on the box, asking:
"Shouming, let me take a look, please? Just for fifteen minutes. I'll give it right back when I'm done, okay?"
After a few days, being sweet-talked by Zhu Qingyu's gentle charms again actually made Gu Zhao feel a bit nostalgic, and even a little thrilled.
They had been so intimate that night. Although they hadn't gone all the way due to her physical condition, the feeling of their skin pressed together without any barriers, their mingled breaths and pants as their lips and teeth entangled, the marks he left on her body, and the unprecedented, heavenly experience she brought him—all of this made it impossible for Gu Zhao to forget for a long time.
Sometimes, halfway through his official duties, the usually focused Gu Zhao would accidentally zone out, and fragments of memories from that night would unexpectedly drift through his mind.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, her arm or leg would unconsciously brush against him. Gu Zhao would always wake up instantly, hold her hand under the covers, and feel an uncontrollable urge.
He wanted more, he craved more, wanting it so badly he was almost going crazy, but she just had to fall ill.
Furthermore, after waking up, she seemed to have completely forgotten about it, not mentioning a single word. These past few days, she had been incredibly cold to him, as if what happened was just his own dream and had absolutely nothing to do with her.
After enduring her cold shoulder for the past few days, Gu Zhao's mind, which had been dizzy with the intimacy of that night, gradually cooled down. He finally had to admit that the sliver of affection he had secretly guessed at, and even her initiative, were perhaps, quite likely, and almost certainly just another instance of her false pretenses.
But so what?
The human heart is inherently elusive; only what is held in one's hands is real.
She couldn't possibly fake it for a lifetime, could she?
She had better be able to fake it for a lifetime.
Gu Zhao flipped his hand to grasp the hand Zhu Qingyu extended to him. He also smiled, not mentioning a single word about the old scores from that day or trying to argue with her about why she had acted that way. Instead, he asked:
"Qingyu, since you want to know what crime Zhang Jingyan committed, why didn't you just ask me directly?"
Zhu Qingyu let him hold her hand and used her other hand to open the box, still brushing him off verbally:
"It's not convenient for you to tell me about the case, is it? I don't want to make things difficult for you either. Just give me fifteen minutes to take a secret peek. That way, if it ever comes to light, I'll be the one who peeked, and no one can blame you, alright?"
There were several items of various sizes inside. The one placed right on top looked to Zhu Qingyu like an account book?
Why would it be an account book?
Zhu Qingyu took out the account book and opened it. Upon seeing the familiar handwriting, her heart jolted.
It was actually Zhang Shen's handwriting! Written with his left hand.
Once, during a casual chat, Zhang Shen had told her that he was left-handed as a child. He initially practiced calligraphy with his left hand, but was later forcefully corrected by his teacher. Therefore, he could write with both hands, and his handwriting looked different with each. He had even specially demonstrated writing with his left hand for her to see.
Gu Zhao didn't stop Zhu Qingyu from flipping through the account book. Instead, he followed her line of conversation and asked:
"Are you afraid of putting me in a difficult position, or are you afraid I'll lie to you? Qingyu, do you think Zhang Shen was framed by me and sent to the Imperial Prison? I can tell you plainly, I haven't tampered with his case in the slightest. His crimes are backed by solid evidence, and he deserves his punishment. You've exhausted yourself for him, even putting yourself on the line. Have you ever considered that you might have completely mixed up the good guys and the bad guys, and that he simply isn't worth all this effort?"
Zhu Qingyu's heart trembled once more. She looked at Gu Zhao, almost believing he had suddenly mastered mind-reading. What he said matched her thoughts almost word for word.
The reason she was so stubbornly determined to see the case file with her own eyes was that, deep down, she completely refused to believe Zhang Shen could commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor.
This terrifying-sounding major crime simply defied basic logic and objective reality when applied to Zhang Shen.
The Emperor was a figure high up in the clouds; Zhang Shen couldn't even reach him, let alone meet him.
Since he couldn't reach him and they had absolutely no interaction, how could he possibly deceive the Emperor?
From beginning to end, Zhu Qingyu firmly believed that Zhang Shen had been framed.
Naturally, she dared not trust Gu Zhao's one-sided story. If she had to name a suspect for framing Zhang Shen, Vice Minister Gu ranked number one in her heart.
Therefore, she absolutely had to see the case file with her own eyes. Only then could she understand the cause, sort out the clues, find the right direction, and prescribe the right remedy to save Zhang Shen.
But now, Gu Zhao was saying that the evidence against Zhang Shen was solid, and this conclusive evidence was laid out right in front of Zhu Qingyu.
Zhu Qingyu let go of Gu Zhao's hand, sat by the table, opened the account book, and calmly turned the pages one by one.
After nearly three years, the name Zhao Shiyuan, which she had almost forgotten, entered her vision once again.
Back then, Zhao Shiyuan wanted to marry her as his eighteenth concubine. To help her mediate and stall for time, Zhang Shen had sent a lot of silver to Zhao Shiyuan.
He would send three thousand taels today and five thousand taels tomorrow. Then Zhao Shiyuan would back off for a few days, but before long, he would come looking for trouble again.
No matter how wealthy the Zhang family was, they couldn't withstand such a drain. Moreover, Zhao Shiyuan was insatiably greedy; even if the entire Zhang family were sacrificed, it would be useless. Furthermore, she couldn't possibly feel at ease using the Zhang family's silver like this.
So, at that time, Zhu Qingyu said to Zhang Shen:
"Don't send any more silver."
Zhang Shen might have sensed something and kept persuading her:
"Qingyu, don't be impulsive. Things will take a turn for the better."
At the time, Zhu Qingyu thought Zhang Shen was merely comforting her. To her surprise, a few days later, the situation actually took a turn for the better.
The seemingly invincible Zhao Shiyuan, who swaggered through Yangzhou City getting everything he desired, was suddenly investigated and brought to justice.
Zhu Qingyu had always believed she was simply lucky.
How could she have been so naive to truly think it was just good luck?
The truth was, someone had secretly shouldered all the risks and shielded her from the raging storm without her ever knowing.
Now, she was finally witnessing firsthand the unreserved love that Zhang Shen had poured out for her all those years ago.
