Chapter 48 - 2#

“…Nanny Ming, did you kill her?” Jingzhe first said this, then recalling the danger in the Ancestral Worship Hall that day, he quickly changed his words, “Did you have someone kill her?”

In such a dangerous situation that day, Rong Jiu didn’t have the ability to split himself to kill Nanny Ming. But he couldn’t do it himself… that didn’t mean this matter had nothing to do with him.

Rong Jiu looked at Jingzhe with an ambiguous meaning: “Why do you think so?”

Jingzhe’s heart moved slightly. Rong Jiu didn’t refute.

“I hadn’t considered this possibility before. It’s just that Mingyu has an acquaintance in the Imperial Guard who mentioned that Nanny Ming’s wound was fatal. He also said that someone from above suppressed this matter and forbade investigation.” Jingzhe tucked his hands in his sleeves and said faintly, “I was originally thinking that perhaps the person behind Nanny Ming had ruthlessly killed her and suppressed the news.”

Rong Jiu was unconcerned, lowering his brows to look at Jingzhe.

Jingzhe scratched his face: “But, later I went to the North Wing and suddenly thought, the Imperial Guard listens to Commander Wei, and Commander Wei listens to His Majesty. His Majesty doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would let others interfere in these matters.” The hands of the harem couldn’t reach the Imperial Guard.

If they could, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have to go to such great lengths.

If not a palace concubine, then who could it be?

Jingzhe’s pair of black eyes once again landed on Rong Jiu.

Unless the person who gave the order was originally from the Imperial Guard, possessing the Emperor’s unique trust, and naturally holding great power.

“Yes.”

Rong Jiu’s tone of admission was as calm as if he were talking about the weather.

For a moment, Jingzhe couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart.

To say he was happy, that didn’t seem right.

But to say he was unhappy… there was a strange feeling in his heart.

Jingzhe touched his heart and said softly: “Killing people casually is not good.”

“She has more than one life on her hands. Do you feel sorry for her?” Rong Jiu said coolly, “On the contrary, you loathe her.”

Jingzhe couldn’t deny that he disliked Nanny Ming.

He was just shocked that Rong Jiu would kill someone casually just because of Jingzhe’s casual preference.

However, this made most of Jingzhe’s previous guesses wrong.

Jingzhe tugged at Rong Jiu’s sleeve, “I previously thought you had found something wrong with her and acted first to gain the upper hand.”

For example, the mastermind behind her, or that she would endanger the safety of the palace, or something else.

This made him, who had thought too much, seem very foolish.

Rong Jiu sneered: “Investigate her? Is she worthy?”

There was no need for a reason to kill. As long as he didn’t like her, he wanted her dead. What reason was needed?

He rather hoped that Jingzhe could also learn this matter-of-fact attitude.

Jingzhe didn’t know what kind of crazy things Rong Jiu was thinking. He held Rong Jiu’s hand and turned it over and over. After a while, he asked: “Your hand, why is it sometimes cold and sometimes hot?”

Today it felt slightly warmer than usual.

Even if it was warm, it was still cold compared to a normal person.

It was just that Jingzhe knew what he was like when he was truly cold, which was why he was a little worried.

Rong Jiu: “After taking medicine, it will be warmer.”

Jingzhe: “Medicine to expel poison?”

Seeing the man nod, Jingzhe wanted to ask more, but Rong Jiu pressed his mouth, not allowing him to ask.

Jingzhe bit his palm, only feeling that Rong Jiu was domineering.

He clearly knew that Jingzhe was worried about his body, yet he always forbade him from asking too much. Every time he asked, he would use violence to suppress him.

Rong Jiu mostly answered Jingzhe’s questions, just like today. But if he didn’t want to answer, he would adopt this evasive attitude, which was really infuriating.

Rong Jiu let Jingzhe mess around. That hand seemed to have become a toy for teasing. Jingzhe played with it a few times, silently wiped it clean with a handkerchief, and then returned it.

What comes around goes around, borrowing again won’t be difficult.

Rong Jiu casually took Jingzhe’s hand away.

Jingzhe: “Aren’t you busy recently?”

He had thought that the matter with Heyin would keep Rong Jiu busy for a long time.

Unexpectedly, Rong Jiu still came to see him on time.

Rong Jiu said indifferently: “There’s nothing to investigate. The Emperor doesn’t care about the truth.” He bit Jingzhe’s palm, right in the same spot as before.

Jingzhe’s eyes widened, trying to pull his hand back, while saying: “It’s such a big deal, and His Majesty still doesn’t care about the truth?”

He remembered his previous guess, paused, and no longer hid it, telling Rong Jiu bit by bit. The matter of Heyin, the matter of Shanyou, and Liao Jiang…

During this time, Rong Jiu left seven or eight bite marks on Jingzhe’s fingers.

“…You’re going too far. I only bit you once!” Jingzhe couldn’t bear it anymore, “If you bite again, I won’t be polite.”

Rong Jiu slowly bit Jingzhe’s fingertip, his brows slightly raised, as if asking how he planned to be impolite.

In a fit of anger, Jingzhe got angry and kicked Rong Jiu.

Completely harmless.

Rong Jiu grabbed both of Jingzhe’s wrists and slowly said: “Your thoughts are almost correct.”

The struggling Jingzhe was stunned. He didn’t even care about this strange posture, frowning at Rong Jiu: “What I said is correct?”

He was just making it all up.

“You underestimate yourself.” Rong Jiu said indifferently, “Since you could guess that her death was ordered by me, then your guess about the envoy is mostly correct. What’s so surprising?”

Jingzhe was silent for a while: “Well, if even my wild thoughts can be mostly correct, then this scheme is a bit too…”

“Jingzhe, you are good at seeing the big picture from small details. You also seem to always attract different friends.” Rong Jiu said indifferently, “Among them, some are natural sources of information for you. When this useful information continuously gathers on you, it will also be used by you.”

Jingzhe: “My interactions with them are not for…”

“This is also a means.” Rong Jiu’s voice was a bit cool, as if teaching a child who was just learning to speak, with rare patience, “Sufficient sincerity will make this force gathered around you willing to be used by you.”

Whether this was Jingzhe’s original intention or not, things would develop this way.

This was almost Jingzhe’s innate ability.

He could easily make friends with many people.

Jingzhe: “How can it be so easy? There are still quite a few people who hate me.”

He couldn’t help but think of Xinsheng.

Xinsheng was probably just jealous of Jingzhe at first. After Jingzhe returned from Shangyu Garden, it developed into resentment.

There seemed to be a hint of a smile in Rong Jiu’s eyes.

Not strong, but Jingzhe noticed it.

“In this world, of course, nothing is perfect.” Rong Jiu said almost pityingly.

Even money and power are disliked by some for their stench of copper and blood. Who can be loved by everyone?

Jingzhe lowered his brows and thought for a moment.

“…You, can you let go of my hands?”

He thought and thought, but before he could figure anything out, his two arms became sore first.

This posture of holding up both hands was too ridiculous.

It really looked like surrendering with both hands.

Rong Jiu released his hands and said indifferently: “Still struggling?”

Jingzhe rubbed his sore arms, “Not really. I was just thinking, what is the purpose of the Shanyou people? If it’s really related to them, why were they so good to Liao Jiang later? Isn’t this obviously revealing their own suspicion?”

“Jingzhe, you know about Liao Jiang’s matter because you are in a special position.” Rong Jiu said indifferently, “If something hadn’t happened to Liao Jiang, and you happened to be there, so that he trusted you later, would you know about the matter of Yueyu and Shanyou?”

Jingzhe was slightly stunned. This was indeed a coincidence.

If he hadn’t been working under Hua Yunfei, that day, Jingzhe wouldn’t have followed Chief Hua to see the Yueyu envoy, wouldn’t have seen Liao Jiang, and certainly wouldn’t have known the later details about Shanyou.

Is this the specialness Rong Jiu mentioned?

Jingzhe would find Shanyou strange because he knew too much from Liao Jiang.

But looking at the whole matter, no one cared about Liao Jiang at all, so naturally, they wouldn’t investigate the subsequent matters in detail.

Just a pawn.

Even if the soldiers were changed to interrogate again and again, they might not know more details than Jingzhe.

Jingzhe: “The Shanyou envoy doesn’t care because… first, they don’t think anyone would care about Liao Jiang and investigate further, and second, it’s because they are not afraid of being discovered.”

Because Emperor Jingyuan didn’t care about the truth.

No matter why the Heyin envoy offended Emperor Jingyuan, no matter how many conspiracies there were, who was the real culprit, the Emperor didn’t care about all these calculations at all.

“…Wait, if His Majesty doesn’t care about these things, then why is he still holding the envoys of various countries?”

He vaguely remembered that it was because of a thorough investigation that these envoys were detained.

But now Rong Jiu said Emperor Jingyuan didn’t care, so why were these people kept?

“Maybe the Emperor is going crazy?”

Rong Jiu said casually.

Jingzhe pinched Rong Jiu’s face. Better shut up.

But his action was not big, more like trying to stop Rong Jiu from spouting nonsense. Even his pinching motion was careful, afraid of really pinching out a red mark.

Rong Jiu didn’t say anything more.

Seeing Rong Jiu quiet down, Jingzhe moved his position and secretly went to touch Rong Jiu’s hair. He could have done it openly, but he was so cowardly that Rong Jiu didn’t bother to interrupt him.

Jingzhe was really a strange person.

When he was scared, he was really scared. But once he was made to believe, he would settle down at a flying speed, without a trace of doubt.

In the end, the several “quarrels” between Jingzhe and Rong Jiu were undoubtedly Rong Jiu going crazy. If he hadn’t maliciously wanted Jingzhe to notice, he probably could have deceived him until the end of time.

He could feel Jingzhe letting down his guard bit by bit.

From the beginning, he would never ask about Rong Jiu’s family background. Later, he would take the initiative to ask if Rong Jiu was busy, and would start to actively seek Rong Jiu’s help… until today.

For the first time, Jingzhe told him what he was thinking.

Not those ordinary trivial matters, but matters concerning safety, which should not be revealed, and which Jingzhe would never mention in front of Rong Jiu.

It seemed that after that “dispute”, Jingzhe had re-drawn a large area for Rong Jiu, allowing him to enter and see another side of Jingzhe that he rarely showed.

Jingzhe was very smart.

He hadn’t read many books, had encountered disaster, and had managed to survive.

This couldn’t be described as good luck.

It was just that he had a certain deep-rooted self-deprecation, not thinking he was anything special. And because of his overly strong defenses, besides Mingyu, even Rong Jiu sometimes had a hard time getting a few true words from him.

Rong Jiu really wanted to kill Mingyu.

As soon as Mingyu died, Jingzhe would only have him left by his side.

Completely, only his Jingzhe.

In pain, despair, and anger, with no choice, Jingzhe could only choose him.

Rong Jiu thought so, and almost did so.

The only thing that stopped him from acting was Jingzhe’s keenness.

If Rong Jiu was willing, he could create the most seamless death, ensuring that Mingyu died naturally, and no one would find anything suspicious.

But Jingzhe was too sensitive.

He didn’t even need evidence. Just a flash of inspiration, and he would perceive the truth behind the mystery.

This talent…

Heh, Rong Jiu rubbed the back of Jingzhe’s neck.

It really made one want to completely destroy it.

Perhaps because Rong Jiu’s actions were too repetitive and too frequent, Jingzhe couldn’t help but look up at him, his black eyes carrying a faint doubt.

Rong Jiu lightly pinched Jingzhe’s shoulder. With a skillful force, Jingzhe let out a cry, and his head drooped down again, revealing his fair neck.

“You should move this area.” Rong Jiu said indifferently, without hesitation, he used more force, making Jingzhe cry out again, “Otherwise, it will be sore in a few days.”

Jingzhe was pinched by Rong Jiu until he cried out, but he still couldn’t run away. In the end, his whole body went soft in Rong Jiu’s arms.

Rong Jiu could easily crush Jingzhe. Just this simple force was enough to make Jingzhe go limp. If he added a little more… his fingertips slid down from the shoulder, pinching Jingzhe’s arm.

“Here too?” Jingzhe’s voice carried a faint fear. Although Rong Jiu pinched him very painfully, after the pain subsided, it was a bit comfortable, “I didn’t feel… ah!”

Rong Jiu didn’t speak and went straight to it.

Then, both of Jingzhe’s arms also became limp, almost unable to lift.

He could only lie in Rong Jiu’s arms and pant.

Jingzhe closed his eyes. When Rong Jiu wanted to continue massaging, he grabbed his hand, refusing to let him mess around anymore. He held that arm in his embrace. After a long while, he heard Jingzhe’s low voice.

“Are you… a little unhappy?”

Rong Jiu’s voice carried a hint of interest: “Unhappy? Jingzhe, are you mistaken?”

That should be excitement.

A certain unspeakable desire for destruction gathered at his fingertips. In his low cries, it turned into a strange fanaticism.

Jingzhe’s voice was a bit lazy, but he insisted: “No, that’s just unhappiness.”

Rong Jiu looked down at Jingzhe.

He had a handsome face, one that made people feel comfortable and unconsciously develop a good impression. He closed his eyes, and when he spoke, his lips curled slightly, which was a bit cute. Perhaps because the massage just now was too painful, the corners of his eyes were a little moist and red, making people want to bully him even more.

“How could it be?” Rong Jiu said carelessly, “This emotion can’t be called unhappiness.”

It could only be a certain unpleasant endurance.

Look, even such a fleeting emotion could be captured by Jingzhe.

Too smart, and it becomes difficult to handle.

What can cover his eyes, ears, and thus his conjectures, can only be the emotions involved.

For a smart person like Jingzhe, the greatest weapon to tie him down would only be feelings.

The deeper the relationship, the more entangled, the more it can shake him, making it difficult to make a clean break.

Rong Jiu’s cool fingers rubbed the corner of Jingzhe’s eye, making the red there even more vivid, like applied rouge. His voice carried a hint of ambiguous seduction.