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

Inside and outside Yangzhou, people were ransacking homes and suppressing bandits; the fighting and killing never stopped.

The government office, however, fell silent for the time being.

After all, those who needed to be arrested had been arrested. Although the rest of the banquet guests escaped unscathed, they remained huddled in their seats under heavy guard, not daring to cause any trouble.

Holding the drunken Zhu Qingyu in his arms, Gu Zhao went out through the back gate of the small courtyard, passed through a clump of flowers and trees, and arrived at the courtyard where he was temporarily staying.

The soldiers in the courtyard had long been withdrawn to the outer perimeter by Xiong Kun, and even the servants who were originally serving had been chased away by his personal attendants.

Seeing Lord Gu carrying an unconscious young lady in, the servant left behind kept his head down, not daring to look too closely, and quietly closed the side gate behind him.

Gu Zhao hadn't actually given any specific instructions, but from childhood to adulthood, everyone around him, whether servants in the mansion or subordinates in officialdom, was always so perceptive and capable of getting things done.

When subordinates are projected with the will of those in power, they are more likely to surrender out of fear or to curry favor than to put up a fight.

So whenever he wants something, if he doesn't restrain his desires, getting it is always a matter of course.

Gu Zhao went into the inner room, gently placed Zhu Qingyu on his bed, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at her sleeping face.

Perhaps because she had changed from lying diagonally to lying flat, with the jewelry in her hair weighing down, she frowned slightly and didn't sleep soundly.

Gu Zhao cupped her face, supported her head, and removed the gold hairpin from behind her ear, placing it aside so she could sleep more soundly.

The faint red tinge of powder on my fingertip was from when I accidentally smeared it on her face while I was holding her.

Even redder than her makeup were her slightly parted lips as she slept.

The fact that she was lying in her own bed made Gu Zhao's entire body restless, agitated, and turbulent.

I really want to try it. I wonder if it will be as sweet as in my dream, making me linger and unable to stop.

It's easy for her to try it; it's military-grade sleeping potion, and she won't wake up until dawn tomorrow.

Tonight, no matter what he does, she will not resist.

But Gu Zhao only reached out and gently touched her lips, his fingertips tingling with her lipstick, turning her slightly red lips into a deep crimson.

Just as I imagined, it was even softer and warmer than I had expected.

With a light touch, Gu Zhao withdrew his hand.

He wasn't worried about her waking up; what worried him was that once he started, he wouldn't be able to control himself and would become completely immersed in the moment.

A delicate flower is always easy to pluck.

But once broken off, it will soon perish and be crushed into mud.

He had known her for so long, and although she seemed amiable on the surface, she was not a weak and submissive woman.

If she woke up the next morning to find that her husband had met with misfortune and that she had lost her virginity, Gu Zhao was very worried that she might choose to die to prove her innocence.

What he wanted was to gain, not to destroy.

He wanted her, not her life.

Gu Zhao got up, left the bed, and walked outside. In her mind, she recalled the scene at the ferry crossing where she lifted her skirt, her face full of smiles, and ran eagerly towards Zhang Jingyan while calling his name.

More than a fleeting one-night stand, he longed for her, smiling brightly as she ran toward him, someone he wanted willingly to give him everything she had.

Just thinking about it made him tremble with excitement.

It takes only a thought to pluck a flower, but to nurture it into blooming for oneself requires time, opportunity, patience, endurance, and waiting.

Waiting is necessary.

There's plenty of time; he can wait.

When the servant saw the young master carrying Lady Zhu inside, he thought to himself that they probably wouldn't be able to get out that night.

After all, it wasn't a proper and aboveboard marriage. If word got out, it wouldn't affect the young master's future, but it would damage his reputation. The servant didn't dare get too close, hiding in a corner under the eaves, ready to obey the young master's orders if he needed water or something.

As a result, in less than a quarter of an hour, the young master came out fully dressed. Judging from the time, his expression, and his state, he did not seem to have achieved his wish.

The servant jumped up, puzzled, and asked:

"Young Master?"

Gu Zhao had already stepped out of the courtyard and gave the order:

"Arrange for a few reliable people to watch over her."

The servants were completely bewildered by this order. Huh? All this trouble, the person is right in front of us, even carried to the bedside, and all we're doing is guarding him?

Is that so?

A feeling of pity welled up in Chang Sui's heart, but then she felt that pity was not enough to express it, and finally a strange thought popped into her head:

"Do you cherish it that much?"

The thought startled even the attendant herself. She was just a woman who had been married before. The young master was only attracted to her beauty and it was just a momentary infatuation. She must be crazy to use such a word.

The master is the master, and even if the servant was confused and didn't understand, he dared not question the master's orders and hurriedly said:

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away."

Considering the young master's overly concerned attitude, and to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, the attendant didn't even dare to go into the inner room. Instead, he arranged for four maids to go inside and keep watch.

After thinking it over, the servant still felt it was unsafe. This was the young master's bedroom, and a woman had stayed there all night. The young master hadn't said what he planned to do with her afterward, whether he would lock her up or what.

Who knows how Madam Zhu will react when she wakes up tomorrow? If she makes a scene and threatens to hang herself, the maids won't be able to stop her.

As for him, he dared not touch her in the slightest.

So the servant found four more strong old women and instructed them to put away all the fragile porcelain and sharp objects in the room, only then did he feel that everything was safe.

While the attendant was making arrangements, Gu Zhao had already left the courtyard and instructed Xiong Kun:

"Summon the generals who have completed their missions to the study for a report."

Xiong Kun, who was guarding the courtyard, originally shared the same thought as the servant: that Lord Gu probably wouldn't have time to handle government affairs that night, as he had already dismissed the generals who had come to report.

Seeing Lord Gu heading towards the study, he was momentarily stunned, then quickly followed:

"Yes, sir, I will take care of it immediately!"

Gu Zhao was busy until dawn, and didn't finish until half past 5 a.m.

Lei Dawu was caught red-handed in his sleep, along with all his subordinates. None of the other officials involved escaped either; he and his family members were all apprehended.

Because the Emperor's decree was written urgently, the generals handling the case understood the Emperor's intention perfectly. None of the prisoners stayed overnight. After verifying their identities, a deputy general escorted the suspects and they were sent to the capital by military ship overnight.

After reviewing everything and confirming that there were no further oversights in the case, Gu Zhao returned to his courtyard only after returning to the capital to submit the case to the Ministry of Justice for review.

Upon seeing the young master return, the attendant shrewdly summoned all the maids and nannies, leaving no one in the inner room.

Gu Zhao entered the inner room, where the bedroom, which used to be empty, now had her lying there.

Satisfaction, relaxation, and exhaustion from the all-night trial washed over him at once. Gu Zhao lay down on the bedside, fully clothed, next to her, and soon fell asleep.