Yue Guanyi nodded slightly, but still had some hesitation: “What you say makes sense, but since you already had this decision in mind, why didn’t you negotiate with Dai Yun and the others earlier?”

Qiu Shuzhi lowered her head and smiled bitterly: “Such a big matter, this official does not have the authority to make decisions.”

Moreover, even if she acted rashly on her own, even if it really succeeded, when she returned to the capital, Gu Zheng could still use this as a pretext to punish her for her crimes.

She now urgently needed someone who could report this matter to the palace, so she would have the confidence.

“I understand.” Yue Guanyi said in a deep voice: “I will immediately send someone to report this to the Empress Dowager, I believe she will definitely agree.”

“This official thanks Your Highness.”

Yue Guanyi pursed his thin lips, his clear and moist eyes staring at her as he slowly said: “You’ve had a hard time these past days.”

He knew the difficulties Qiu Shuzhi faced alone in Yanshun County, and understood even more the reasons for Gu Zheng’s刁难 towards her. He sent a letter directly to the Empress Dowager, carefully explaining the ins and outs, and added some embellishments about Gu Zheng’s petty-minded thoughts.

Qin Qing was about to retire for the night when he received the letter. Reading the entire letter by the flickering candlelight, his expression became extremely unpleasant.

“This Gu Zheng, truly doesn’t take my words seriously, daring to deceive superiors and subordinates!” The fragile letter paper was heavily slapped on the table, shaking the candlestick.

Yu Ye, who was attending at the side, was startled: “Empress Dowager, what happened?”

Qin Qing’s anger had not yet subsided, his expression getting worse and worse. He actually didn’t know that he had repeatedly instructed Gu Zheng to take good care of Qiu Shuzhi, who was living a life of being bullied from both sides in Yanshun County.

Yu Ye picked up the fallen letter and looked at it, his delicate brows also furrowing: “How could Lord Gu conceal this from you and not follow your orders?”

Qin Qing’s eyes were like cold ice: “Just this one matter alone, she dares to defy my intentions, how much more is there that I don’t know about in secret.”

Hearing this, Yu Ye sensed the situation seemed not quite right, had the Empress Dowager become wary of Lord Gu?

“Perhaps Lord Gu just wanted to temper Secretary Qiu a bit?” he said.

“Is she the master or am I the master? A tool I placed in Shuntianfu, daring to disobey the master’s orders, this one thing alone is enough to punish her for her crimes.” A flash of murderous intent passed through Qin Qing’s eyes: “She thinks that because she’s already the Prefect of Shuntianfu, she can disobey my orders. I can give her power, and naturally I can also take it back.”

Qin Qing tightly gripped the fan handle, the three characters “Qiu Shuzhi” on the letter paper looked particularly gentle in the candlelight.

It was his fault for believing Gu Zheng’s slanderous words and sending her, who had just started out, to such a difficult place. It was hard on her to persist for so long in such circumstances, far exceeding his expectations. And the suggestions she proposed also deeply won his heart.

Qin Qing closed his eyes deeply. The palace was full of cold traps everywhere, even people raised up by the Qin family could not be trusted. Only Qiu Shuzhi’s gentle and clean brows and eyes lingered in his mind: “Bring brush and ink.”

Yu Ye hurriedly found brush and ink, grinding the ink while looking at the contents of his letter, secretly rejoicing in his heart that Secretary Qiu was coming back.

Two letters, coming and going in one day, brought Qiu Shuzhi an unprecedented sense of ease. With the Empress Dowager’s letter as backing, even Gu Zheng wouldn’t dare to find fault with her.

She began negotiating with village heads and local leaders in the villages near the silver mine. Originally, with the Imperial Guards following behind her, the deterrent effect was already extremely strong, with an overwhelming sense of pressure. And she brought such favorable conditions that almost no one refused.

Thus, a campaign to strike at mine theft from within and without began vigorously, like an unstoppable fire, burning everything clean.

From then on, there was no more mine theft in Yanshun County.

Qiu Shuzhi could be considered to have fulfilled her mission, and prepared to return to the capital.

On the night before departure, Dai Yun pulled her aside and said all kinds of grateful words.

Qiu Shuzhi’s expression was outwardly warm with smiles, but inwardly cold. Letting Dai Yun go did not mean she could forever enjoy freedom from the law. When the day came that the silver mine was emptied, it would be the time for Dai Yun’s family to be seized. The wealth she was now taking was only temporarily keeping it for the court.

“Secretary Qiu, your great kindness is beyond repayment. This official has prepared a little something nice for you, it’s in your room.” Dai Yun whispered in her ear.

Qiu Shuzhi frowned slightly: “What do you mean?”

Dai Yun smiled mysteriously: “You’ll know when you return to your room.”

Qiu Shuzhi opened the door in bewilderment. No lights were lit inside, pitch black darkness.

She fumbled to light a candle, and in the faint light saw a slight bulge on her bed.

Qiu Shuzhi called out: “Who’s there? Come out!”

The bundle under the bedding moved a little, and soon revealed half of a coquettish face. The fair skin was particularly eye-catching in the darkness, the candlelight tracing a path from his neck down to his collarbone. Qiu Shuzhi suddenly realized that he was currently unclothed.

She hurriedly stepped back, turning to lean against the door, facing away from him: “Quickly put your clothes on.”

A rustling sound came from behind, and she could sense someone slowly approaching her from behind.

She thought he had already put on clothes, but when she turned her head to look, she immediately closed her eyes.

“Rui Zhu, what are you doing? Hurry and put your clothes on!”

Rui Zhu walked towards her naked, his thin frame faintly visible in the candlelight. He desperately hugged her from behind, his arms encircling her tightly: “My lady, take this slave, let this slave serve you once.”

He knew he was no longer pure, and had suffered inhuman torment from Zhou Hu. During those dark days, his only emotional sustenance was Qiu Shuzhi’s gentle smile towards him on the boat that day. She was the only woman in his life who had been kind to him.

“Rui Zhu, do you know what you’re saying?” Qiu Shuzhi pulled his arms away, hurriedly retreating outside the room.

“I know, I want to follow my lady for a lifetime, serve my lady for a lifetime, be a beast of burden for my lady.” Rui Zhu knelt crying before her.

“Be a beast of burden? Heh, you’re not worthy.” A bone-chilling cold voice came from not far away. Yue Guanyi stared fixedly at Rui Zhu kneeling on the ground with reddened eyes, like icy blades from a frozen hell piercing fiercely into his body.

Only then did Rui Zhu realize there was someone else present. Embarrassed, he tried to cover his body. Qiu Shuzhi hurriedly pulled down her outer robe hanging nearby to cover Rui Zhu.

Rui Zhu hastily put on his clothes, trembling and shrinking behind Qiu Shuzhi.

Yue Guanyi’s heart was being eaten away by jealousy, the sparks in his eyes wishing to burn him to ashes. To shamelessly seduce a woman while naked, and now putting on an act of being weak and delicate like a coquettish fox spirit, it was truly disgusting.