In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Suddenly being pushed onto the bed, Zhu Qingyu wasn't flustered. She figured that Lord Gu was probably still half asleep, and that his actions meant he either mistook her for an assassin or someone else in his room.

Now that Lord Gu has woken up, the two of them can simply let go of each other's hands and remain silent, pretending nothing happened, and this little accident will pass.

As a result, there was absolutely no understanding between her and Lord Gu.

Gu Zhaoxing was awake, but her eyes were dreamlike. Not only did he not let go of her, but he seemed afraid she would run away, so he tightened his grip, pressed her closer, and even turned the tables, asking in a hoarse voice almost next to her ear:

"What are you doing?"

Zhu Qingyu's wrist ached from his grip, and she could barely breathe from his hand covering her. She turned her head to avoid his hand and tried to get up. In the struggle, their limbs touched through their thin summer clothes, and their breaths mingled.

Even with such a simple contact, the situation was intense, and Lord Gu was even more so, burning hot, unable to control himself.

It is obvious that this is reality, not a dream.

In her dream, she was completely obedient, never having dodged or struggled like this before, and never rejecting him.

But even the gasps of breath from struggling to escape are more vivid and sweet than every moment in my dreams day and night.

Having tasted even a fleeting moment of freshness, the lingering beauty and allure he cherished in his dreams suddenly became utterly tasteless.

He couldn't just dabble; he wanted more.

However, if the current situation is not handled properly, she may run away again and become difficult to approach.

Don't think he doesn't know she's been avoiding him. Even though he hasn't done anything wrong, she's so wary of him, not even daring to drink a bowl of his tea. This young lady is far too suspicious.

Gu Zhao finally released his hand from her face, propped himself up on the pillow, but did not get up. He still held her beneath him and questioned her again:

"What were you just doing?"

Zhu Qingyu couldn't understand how Lord Gu dared to ask that question with such a serious expression and such a confident tone.

Shouldn't she be asking him that?

Does he think she's stupid?

She was a doctor with comprehensive medical knowledge, and in his eyes, she was a married woman who knew about matters between men and women. Did he really think that she was so naive as to not realize or notice his situation?

Of course, she was a professional doctor who had systematically studied physiological structures and understood that this was a natural reaction to external stimuli. This situation was very common and did not mean that he did it intentionally, nor did it mean that he really had any feelings for her.

But he actually accused me first, which is going too far!

Zhu Qingyu countered with a question:

"Shouldn't I be the one asking? Lord Gu, what are you doing?"

Gu Zhao's face was serious:

"Someone attempted assassination. In self-defense, I subdued her. Young lady, were you just trying to assassinate me?"

Zhu Qingyu was absolutely furious at his blatant lies:

"You're really asking for trouble! I was just worried you were cold and covered you with a blanket! You're a grown man, and I'm just a defenseless woman. You think I would assassinate you? Lord Gu, don't you feel guilty saying that?"

Gu Zhao actually laughed:

"Madam Zhu is well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine; why would she need iron to kill someone? Since I came to Yangzhou, I have encountered no fewer than seven or eight assassination attempts. You suddenly approached me while I was asleep; shouldn't I have been more vigilant? However, since Madam Zhu is concerned about me, I will believe you. Thank you."

Zhu Qingyu, unable to bear it any longer, almost shouted out:

"You're welcome. Now that you believe me, could you please get up?"

Gu Zhao didn't want to remember at all, and even felt that her scolding was coquettish, which made her heart flutter.

But it was time to stop while we were ahead. To continue would only make us seem dishonest. Gu Zhao restrained himself and got up to pick up the thin blanket that had fallen to the ground.

Zhu Qingyu also got up. In the struggle, the wooden hairpin that held her hair fell to the side of her pillow, and her hair was completely disheveled. So she went to the dressing table, found a wooden comb, and re-tied her hair.

Gu Zhao folded the thin blanket and placed it at the foot of the bed. He turned his head and saw Zhu Qingyu sitting in front of the dressing table doing her makeup. He suddenly felt a little dazed. He felt that this scene was like that of an ordinary couple who had been tender in the morning, chatting and bickering, tidying up the bed, and getting ready to get up.

He was just attracted to her beauty, so why did he suddenly think of the word "husband and wife"?

I'm really going further and further astray.

Zhu Qingyu straightened her hair, turned around and saw Gu Zhao standing by the bed, looking at her strangely.

What's wrong? Surely you don't actually suspect she's an assassin?

Zhu Qingyu frowned:

"Why is Lord Gu looking at me like that? Do you still not believe me and want to interrogate me again?"

Gu Zhao has recently been investigating a salt smuggling case, arresting and interrogating many people. The interrogation room in the government office is not a pleasant place.

Those who dared to follow Lei Dawu in smuggling salt with weapons were all desperate criminals. Before becoming outlaws, most of them had committed numerous crimes, murders, and arson. Therefore, when criminals were arrested, they were usually stripped naked and subjected to various bloody methods to make them confess all their crimes.

Gu Zhao naturally couldn't bear to use such bloody methods on her, but when she talked about interrogation and thought about using other methods to interrogate her, Gu Zhao felt her blood boil and she couldn't control herself.

If Gu Zhao stayed in her boudoir in such an ambiguous manner any longer, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't lose his mind and interrogate her thoroughly.

Trust, don't be afraid.

He didn't want to be a saint, but he also didn't want to be a despicable villain in front of her.

Gu Zhao turned and walked away, heading towards the outer room, leaving behind only one sentence:

"Madam Zhu, come out here, let's talk about some serious matters."

She came to talk to him about serious business!

Zhu Qingyu tied up her hair and went to the outer study to tell Gu Zhao about the matter of the second manager:

"After all, he has been the family's manager for decades, and I don't want to wrong him for no reason. But he encouraged my family to borrow money from the government and quietly settled the problem of 30,000 taels of silver. In the past six months, he has also been on very good terms with Lord Liu's advisor. I think something is not right. Please help me investigate."

The investigation was the government's business, and Gu Zhao was already interrogating Lord Liu's henchmen and their entanglement with Lei Dawu.

He came to see her only as an excuse to have more opportunities to meet, and at the same time to make people like Lord Liu lower their guard. He didn't expect her to find any clues in a day.

Unexpectedly, she was able to discover so many intricacies in just one day.

This keen insight and clear-headedness prompted Gu Zhao to speak seriously:

"Since Madam Zhu has entrusted this matter to me, I will investigate it."

After finishing their business, Zhu Qingyu didn't waste any more words and said:

"Thank you, sir. I won't keep you from your business any longer."

After leaving the clinic, Gu Zhao asked Xiong Kun:

"Did you tell her that I rushed back from Nanjing overnight?"

Xiong Kun nodded:

"I told them everything they instructed me to."

Xiong Kun had made it so clear that it was lunchtime, and with a little guessing, he would know that he hadn't eaten yet. Yet this young lady was so oblivious, not even mentioning offering to leave him a meal, and just dismissed him with a bowl of tea.

Gu Zhao mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and rode away, but even the galloping horse couldn't dispel the suffocating feeling that kept rising within him.

Despite being a sharp and intelligent person, he doesn't spend even the slightest bit of his energy on himself!

It's truly infuriating and hateful!