Chapter 13 Eating Together The Male Protagonist Falls into Self-Denial

“One should not accept rewards without merit. This humble official cannot accept these. Please take them back, Your Highness.” Qiu Shuzhi pushed the gold pieces in front of Yue Guanyi.

His eyes flickered slightly, and his fingertips involuntarily clenched.

He didn’t understand why she accepted gifts from those fawning minor officials, but wouldn’t take his.

“Did I do something to displease you?” He lowered his eyes slightly, the corners drooping with a hint of grievance, looking just like a puppy that hadn’t received its master’s response.

Qiu Shuzhi was most susceptible to this kind of pitiful gaze, especially when it came from Yue Guanyi. Such puppy eyes appearing on a face as cold and proud as a snow-capped mountain created such a strong contrast that her firm resolve almost crumbled.

Beauty trick, beauty trick, she chanted in her heart.

“No, it’s just that this official has no interest in these things,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“But… alright.” Yue Guanyi wanted to say more but stopped himself, outwardly agreeing while inwardly thinking that vulgar gold and silver jewelry didn’t catch her eye, but next time he would send some antiques and calligraphy that she would surely like.

“It’s getting late. This official should not disturb Your Highness any longer,” Qiu Shuzhi stood up, preparing to leave.

Chang’an seized the opportunity to come in, racking his brains to create a chance for his master: “Your Highness, Official Qiu, the kitchen has prepared the meal. Would Official Qiu like to stay and dine with Your Highness?”

“There’s no need. The night is deep, and it’s not appropriate for a female official like me to stay long in Your Highness’s villa. I’ll take my leave now.”

Yue Guanyi’s eyes were full of reluctance, but he had no choice but to watch her leave.

Watching Qiu Shuzhi’s figure grow distant, Yue Guanyi mustered his courage to follow, the jade pendant on his belt making a crisp clinking sound: “I’ll see you off.”

The setting sun hung low, its last rays scattered on the rippling water surface. Yue Guanyi’s reflection was mirrored in the water, the ice and snow at the peak of the snow mountain melting into a pool of spring water, tinted by the sunset like an oil painting.

He walked beside Qiu Shuzhi, his steps slow, the evening breeze blowing gently on her face, calm and natural.

Come to think of it, since Qiu Shuzhi’s promotion to Zhizhong of Shuntianfu, he hadn’t formally congratulated her.

But now she was a favorite of the Empress Dowager, naturally with countless people fawning and flattering her. To her, he was just someone dispensable, she must have never cared about him.

“The Prefect of Shuntianfu, Gu Zheng, is a disciple personally trained by Qin Zheng. He’s sharp-minded and cunning, a tough character. Official Qiu must be careful when taking office tomorrow.”

Qiu Shuzhi’s steps faltered slightly. Although the Prefect of Shuntianfu was nominally a third-rank official position, due to its special status, it had always been held by court officials of second rank or above. Those who could sit in this position were feared even by imperial relatives, let alone Gu Zheng, who was Qin Zheng’s disciple, clinging to the high branch of the Qin family, with a status second to none in the court.

It was impossible for someone to reach this position without some real ability. Even though she now had the Empress Dowager’s support, Gu Zheng might not give her an easy time.

After all, her current reputation in the court was not good. The Empress Dowager’s exceptional promotion had led to rumors of her using her beauty to serve others, but these voices had disappeared without a trace not long after.

Instead, news of Wang Qing’s imprisonment for corruption took its place.

She knew it was Yue Guanyi’s power at work behind the scenes, but didn’t know how to bring it up, so she simply pretended not to know.

“Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness.”

The last rays of the setting sun finally fell, the night curtain dropped, lamps were lit, and crowds gradually gathered in the night market.

Passing by some street vendors, Qiu Shuzhi casually glanced around, her gaze stopping at a small stall selling seasonal fruits. Qiu Qiushuang loved these the most.

“Boss, two jin of fruit, please.”

“Right away!” The stall owner beamed with joy.

“Do you like these?” Yue Guanyi asked instinctively, wanting to remember every preference of Qiu Shuzhi.

Qiu Shuzhi shook her head, smiling gently: “My elder brother likes them. He’s a gentle man who doesn’t like to show himself in public, so I often bring him some when I’m off duty.”

Elder brother? Qiu Qiushuang?

Yue Guanyi recalled that night when Qin Shu was arrested, the man trembling in Qiu Shuzhi’s arms, that soft-faced, snake-hearted mute. Only Qiu Shuzhi would think of him as a gentle and tender man.

Remembering the humiliation from years ago, hatred ingrained in his bones surged like a tidal wave, stirring up a tremendous storm.

“Does Your Highness like this?”

Under the cover of night, Qiu Shuzhi couldn’t see the deep resentment in Yue Guanyi’s eyes, only noticing that he had been staring at the cold jelly on the small stall, so she asked casually.

Yue Guanyi’s eyes flickered, hurriedly hiding the hatred in his eyes, and responded carelessly: “…Mm.”

Only when he focused his gaze did he see that the cold jelly had been skillfully shaped by the stall owner into a cute little rabbit with white flour ears.

“Boss, two more bowls of cold jelly, please.”

“Coming right up! Please, you two, this way.” The stall owner’s face blossomed with a smile.

The cold jelly had a lot of syrup and couldn’t be taken away, so it had to be eaten at the table and chairs by the small stall. This boss’s business was very good; they had just opened, and besides them, there was another table eating cold jelly.

Before Yue Guanyi could react, he was pulled by Qiu Shuzhi to sit down. The small stall owner swiftly brought two bowls of cold jelly, the pink little rabbits chubby and wobbling, making his ear tips turn slightly red.

“Is this for me?” Yue Guanyi’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.

“Of course. The food of the common people can’t compare to the imperial family’s. I hope Your Highness won’t find it distasteful.”

“How could I find it distasteful?” Yue Guanyi’s smile deepened; he was overjoyed.

He scooped a spoonful into his mouth. Although it was just an ordinary bowl of cold jelly, because of Qiu Shuzhi, he found it a hundred, a thousand times better. The cool, refreshing texture mixed with a hint of brown sugar sweetness, fresh and sweet on his tongue.

“How is it?” Qiu Shuzhi asked.

Under her intent gaze, Yue Guanyi lowered his head shyly: “Very sweet.”

Besides sweetness, there was only sweetness. The sweetness, along with a touch of tenderness from Qiu Shuzhi, seeped into his long-parched heart, providing a bit of moisture to soothe the bitterness he had experienced over the past dozen years.

“Boss, check please!” the woman at the next table called out.

The boss ran over with a smile: “10 wen.”

The woman readily placed ten wen on the table, walking away while frowning: “Boss, what’s that smell on your stall? You should clean it up properly.”

The boss collected the money, sniffed the air, and said in a low voice: “There does seem to be a strange smell, like rust.”

Yue Guanyi’s hand holding the porcelain spoon suddenly tightened.

Looking at his own clothes, he realized they were the ones he wore when interrogating prisoners in Zhaoyu. They were covered with the smell of human flesh and blood, nauseating and persistent. After dealing with many criminals and corpses, his body had acquired an unpleasant odor that couldn’t be washed away.

After leaving Zhaoyu, he had intended to change clothes, but at that time, an attendant had hurriedly informed him that Qiu Shuzhi was waiting for his news. He had been so flustered, his mind filled with not wanting to keep Qiu Shuzhi waiting, eager to rush back, that he had forgotten such an important matter.

Yue Guanyi’s face instantly turned as white as paper. He had actually come to see Qiu Shuzhi wearing clothes stained with prisoners’ blood.

That unbearably foul smell must have reached her. No wonder she didn’t want to stay longer at the villa, no wonder she didn’t want to dine with him.

In this state, even he found himself utterly disgusting, let alone Qiu Shuzhi.

She must have been enduring it with great difficulty.

His heart, which had just begun to liven up, instantly withered into a thoroughly dead ash.

“I’ll head back first.” He staggered as he tried to stand, but his legs, as if drained of blood, wouldn’t obey and he fell back down. He was utterly mortified, wishing he could bury his head deep in the ground.

Too dirty, he was too dirty.

His background, his experiences, even his smell were dirty. He was utterly ashamed, only wanting to escape, unwilling to deepen Qiu Shuzhi’s disgust for him any further.

Qiu Shuzhi firmly pressed down on his hand: “You haven’t finished eating. Why do you want to leave, Your Highness?”

Yue Guanyi’s deathly pale face grew even paler, his thin, bony shoulders trembling: “The smell on my body… it’s disgusting.”

“I haven’t noticed any difference between Your Highness’s scent and others,” Qiu Shuzhi said slowly.

Her warm palm covered his cold hand, her gentle voice nearly making his mind go blank.