Chapter 2 Handkerchief The Male Protagonist Who Received Favor

“If Qiu Niang has nothing to do tonight, why don’t we go have some fun together?” The golden hairpin in Jiang Si’s hair glinted brightly, the smile in her eyes speaking volumes.

Qiu Shuzhi’s hand tightened on the reins: “I won’t join in this excitement.”

Jiang Si said languidly: “Qiu Niang isn’t even interested in young gentlemen? Could it be you’re hiding a beautiful young man at home?”

“What beautiful young man, there’s only me and my cousin at home. I’m worried about him, a man alone, it’s not safe.”

Qin Shu rode up on horseback, impatiently saying: “Jiang Si, why are you wasting time with her? She can come if she wants.”

Jiang Si lowered her eyes, hooking the corner of her mouth: “Fine then, I won’t force you. I’ll treat you to drinks another day.”

The two rode off on horseback, while Qiu Shuzhi slowly rode back to the small courtyard she rented in the capital.

Qiu Shuzhi was originally the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan. Later, the family fortunes declined and her parents died of depression, leaving her and her cousin to rely on each other. Fortunately, the family still had some banknotes left for them to live and study.

Although she was now a fifth-rank official, housing prices in the capital were exorbitant. With her salary, she couldn’t afford to buy a house and could only barely rent a small courtyard.

As soon as she stepped through the door, she smelled the fragrance of delicious food.

“Brother, what tasty dish are you making?” She entered the kitchen, where the smoke and fire outlined a slender dark figure, the gentle profile even more mild and elegant in the misty smoke.

Seeing her enter the kitchen, Qiu Qiushuang quickly put down what he was holding and shooed her out, his long-sleeved fingers gesturing.

He was saying: A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.

Her cousin, who had sought refuge with the Qiu family as a child due to family turmoil. At that time, the Qiu family was well-off and adopted him.

It was said that his voice was like a yellow oriole’s, but unfortunately, due to childhood trauma, he lost his voice and could no longer speak.

Qiu Shuzhi smiled: “You never let me into the kitchen. You toil with housework every day, I want to help you too.”

Qiu Qiushuang shook his head and set the dishes on the table. Being able to serve Qiu Shuzhi was his blessing.

After dinner, Qiu Shuzhi took Qiu Qiushuang to visit the night market. The ancient night market was already bustling with activity, moonlight and lanterns illuminating the entire capital’s night scene. Songs, dances, and opera intoxicated the senses, while street vendors hawked various foods and trinkets.

Qiu Shuzhi bought a lot of small items for Qiu Qiushuang, such as sweet preserved fruits, seasonal fruits, and colorful shadow flower fans.

The two walked east and west, not knowing where they had wandered, when they suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

Qiu Qiushuang grabbed her hand, and Qiu Shuzhi looked up to see that they had actually walked into Flower Willow Lane, where the brothels were filled with the sounds of debauchery.

Even aging male courtesans set up small tents by the roadside to receive clients, their calls becoming more and more wanton, the sound even reaching where they stood.

Qiu Qiushuang was shy, and the lewd voices of the male courtesans made the tips of his ears bright red.

Suddenly, a piercing scream came from the Drunk Heart Pavilion nearby.

The crowd immediately gathered in front of the Drunk Heart Pavilion, and a terrified madam stumbled out, shouting in panic: “Murder! Murder!”

Seeing the situation wasn’t right, Qiu Shuzhi quickly pulled Qiu Qiushuang to leave. As they turned around, they saw a large group of people approaching fiercely, surrounding Flower Willow Street.

The woman leading the group glared: “From now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave.”

As soon as Qiu Qiushuang saw that woman, he was terrified, clutching Qiu Shuzhi’s sleeve, with half his face almost buried in her bosom.

Qiu Shuzhi patted his back: “It’s alright, don’t be afraid.”

The panicked crowd huddled together, Qiu Qiushuang trembling in her arms. Suddenly, there was a commotion from the Drunk Heart Pavilion, and a woman was brought out by the guards, cursing and swearing: “You have some nerve! Do you know who I am? How dare you arrest me!”

“Behave yourself, you killed the top courtesan Dream Lang, the evidence is conclusive. You’re coming with me to the government office right now.”

Qiu Shuzhi looked closely and saw it was actually Qin Shu!

Today, the new scholars had paraded through the streets, and many people recognized Qin Shu, shouting: “It’s the Top Scholar’s wife! The Top Scholar’s wife has committed murder!”

Waves of controversy crashed one after another, and the crowd was in an uproar.

Qin Shu, her eyes bloodshot, struggled: “Let me go, when my mother finds out, she’ll definitely wipe out your entire family!”

“The Top Scholar’s wife has quite the official authority!”

The low voice was authoritative with a hint of coldness. The crowd, which had been in chaos moments ago, suddenly fell silent upon seeing the newcomer’s face.

Qin Shu, her eyes bloodshot: “So it’s you, you planned this to harm me, didn’t you?”

Yue Guanyi’s face was as cold as snow-capped mountains, even his eyes exuding a chilling coldness: “The Top Scholar’s wife has committed murder, this is a serious matter. Take her to Zhao Prison, let Her Majesty decide.”

When Qin Shu heard “Zhao Prison,” she howled: “I didn’t kill anyone! Yue Guanyi, you dare to imprison me in Zhao Prison, my mother will definitely not let you off!”

Yue Guanyi raised his cold eyes, his sinister gaze seemingly merging with the fierce beast embroidered on his official robe.

Qin Shu instantly felt as if she had fallen into an ice pit, her whole body’s blood running cold.

“Take the criminal away!” Chang’an, the deputy, shouted.

Qin Shu, unwilling to give up, broke free from the guards restraining her and rushed in front of Yue Guanyi, her eyes bulging and her nails digging deep into her flesh: “You worthless man, your current position is only because you curried favor with my mother. You dare arrest me, my mother will definitely make you lose everything!”

“How dare you!” Chang’an kicked her to the ground.

Her nails, which had dug into Yue Guanyi’s palm, left a bloody gash.

Everyone worked together to shackle Qin Shu and took her through the crowd of onlookers back to Zhao Prison.

“Let’s go!” Yue Guanyi stared at his injured hand, his long sleeve swishing as he leapt onto the carriage. The torn flesh oozed blood, and the place where Qin Shu had touched him made him feel extremely nauseous.

“Your Highness……” Chang’an suddenly said.

“What else is there?” Yue Guanyi scolded in a low voice, his cold eyes deep and chilling.

“Official Qiu is here.” Chang’an’s eyes indicated a direction.

“Qiu——”

Among all the civil and military officials, there was only one surnamed Qiu……

Yue Guanyi’s knees trembled, and he almost fell off the carriage.

Seeing Qiu Shuzhi holding a man in her arms, squeezed together with the noisy crowd, he couldn’t help but clutch his robe tightly: “Quickly invite Official Qiu in, don’t let those lowly commoners jostle Official Qiu.”

He leapt down from the carriage, his steps nervously unsteady, wiping the dirty blood on his hand against his official robe again and again, afraid that these filthy bloodstains would dirty Qiu Shuzhi’s eyes.

Seeing Yue Guanyi’s nervous state, Chang’an understood that this ‘Third-ranked Scholar’s wife’ was definitely someone special in His Highness’s heart.

He quickly followed beside Yue Guanyi, at this time Ma Qin had not yet noticed Yue Guanyi’s increasingly gloomy gaze.

Chang’an angrily shouted: “You ignorant woman, how dare you block even the Imperial Lecturer Qiu!”

Ma Qin turned around, startled by Yue Guanyi’s vicious gaze, instinctively kneeling on the ground and kowtowing: “This lowly official was ignorant, I beg Your Highness for forgiveness!”

Yue Guanyi didn’t even give Ma Qin half a glance, his gaze locked tightly on Qiu Shuzhi. He silently walked in front of her, about to bow: “This subject was ignorant, disturbing you, please forgive me.”

Qiu Shuzhi was startled and quickly supported his wrist. At the moment of skin contact, Qiu Shuzhi felt as if she was holding a block of ice.

His hand was very cold, his bones light, as if they would be crushed at a touch, making her handle him with extreme care.

“Your Highness is too formal, you are of noble birth, how can you bow to a lowly official like me.”

Not to mention Yue Guanyi’s noble status, there was also the separation between men and women. Qiu Shuzhi lightly supported him for a moment before quickly withdrawing her hand, not knowing that Yue Guanyi’s tense wrist trembled as if scalded by boiling water after she let go.

Qiu Shuzhi’s indifferent tone made his already weak complexion pale another degree. Just now when he had arrested Qin Shu, that venomous and fierce look in his eyes must have all been seen by Qiu Shuzhi.

What Imperial Prince, Commander of the Imperial Guards, in front of Qiu Shuzhi, Yue Guanyi was just an ordinary man, with the only aspiration to please her.

But a man who was out and about all day, and was as vicious as an evil ghost, any woman would avoid him.

Qiu Shuzhi must see him this way too.

Just thinking that Qiu Shuzhi despised him from the bottom of her heart, he felt as if his heart was being carved up by knives and swords, bleeding profusely, almost draining him of the strength to stand.

Qiu Shuzhi watched as Yue Guanyi’s pale face became even more weak, his lowered long lashes trembling slightly, seeming somewhat afraid of her, yet also seeming to be strongly enduring something.

Her sharp eyes noticed that Yue Guanyi’s hand, tightly gripping his sleeve, was seeping blood, dripping onto the ground drop by drop.

He must be enduring this, right?

Qiu Shuzhi took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to him: “Your Highness has been injured by Qin Shu, you should bandage the wound first.”

The pure white, unstained handkerchief embroidered with a cold orchid bloomed in his eyes. He was suddenly stunned, his cold and aloof face showing such a bewildered expression for the first time.

His hand tightened again and again, his heart pounding like war drums in his chest, almost making him breathless: “This is for me?”

Qiu Shuzhi smiled lightly: “Of course.”

Yue Guanyi’s mind whirled, as if a thousand fireworks had exploded, the tips of his ears turning so red they seemed about to drip blood. If not for the cover of night, who could have imagined that the feared Imperial Prince would have such a shy side as a young man.

He hesitantly reached out his hand. That white silk in her jade-like white hand, the lights of a thousand homes shining on her wrist, like a piece of warm jade emitting a cool light, like an immortal, just being looked at by him was a kind of desecration.

Seeing him hesitate, Qiu Shuzhi simply placed the handkerchief directly in his hand, their fingertips separated by barely half a finger’s width.

The soft silk fell lightly into his palm. Yue Guanyi’s eyes constricted sharply, his hand holding the handkerchief now as stiff as if frozen by ice, his blood cold, not daring to move at all.

Fortunately!

Fortunately, he hadn’t extended his injured hand, his dirty blood hadn’t defiled Qiu Shuzhi’s handkerchief.

“Your Highness toils for the country, please take care of your health. This official will take her leave now.” With that, Qiu Shuzhi left this place of trouble with Qiu Qiushuang.

Yue Guanyi looked at the white silk lying quietly in his palm, the faint orchid carrying her light fragrance, slowly entering his nostrils bit by bit.

Yue Guanyi’s breathing grew heavy, this fragrance intoxicating him so much his heart almost stopped.

He preciously folded the handkerchief and placed it in his bosom, closest to his heart, letting each of his heartbeats feel Qiu Shuzhi’s warmth. Just thinking about it made him exhilarated.