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

Zhu Qingyu had just taken the opportunity to carefully observe Gu Zhao's bookshelf while he was choosing books. Half of the bookshelf was filled with books that could be picked up and read at any time, and the other quarter was filled with files that could also be opened and read. They were probably not anything important.

The remaining quarter of the space contained several boxes, each secured with a lock.

A locked box must contain something important.

Although there was no evidence, Zhu Qingyu had a gut feeling that the case files related to Zhang Shen's case might be in the locked box.

The key to the box should be in Gu Zhao's hands.

Where could it be?

Generally speaking, there should be an antidote within three steps; it might even be right there on the desk.

It might also be related to Gu Zhao; the possibility of it being related to Gu Zhao is more likely.

Without a proper reason, it would be impossible for her to turn Gu Zhao over. He is so vigilant; last time at the clinic, he was clearly asleep, but he woke up as soon as she got close. Presumably, he would notice if she made a move.

Or should she go and rummage through the desk first? It's such a small space, everything is visible, and she can finish looking through it quickly. As long as she's fast enough and moves lightly enough, without disrupting the current layout of Gu Zhao's desk, he won't notice.

Zhu Qingyu remained in the same position and closed her eyes.

Wait a little longer, wait until he gets more used to her, wait until he trusts her more.

Now, who knows how long they'll be talking outside? If Gu Zhao suddenly comes back and catches them red-handed, she'll lose his current lenient attitude towards her, and he might even lock her up.

Being able to move freely on the ship is something very precious to her right now.

Not long after Zhu Qingyu closed her eyes, she heard deliberately soft footsteps at the door. Someone pushed the door open and then closed it gently, before walking quietly towards her and standing in front of her.

The person touched her fingers, slowly took the book from her hand, and covered her with a soft blanket.

Zhu Qingyu remained motionless, still fast asleep.

Strangely, the person standing in front of her also remained motionless, seemingly observing her.

Just as Zhu Qingyu was wondering if he had discovered she was pretending to be asleep, someone sighed softly:

"You, you either don't read it at all, or you read it and you should read it seriously. You can even fall asleep while reading Buddhist scriptures. How can you be so disrespectful to the Bodhisattva and so insincere? Aren't you afraid that the Bodhisattva will be angry with you?"

He hadn't noticed that she was pretending to be asleep. Zhu Qingyu closed her eyes even tighter, deciding to reinforce her persona of falling asleep as soon as she started reading in front of him.

With this persona as a foundation, it will be easier to find case files in the study later.

The person in front of me hadn't left; in fact, I could feel their warm presence approaching.

Zhu Qingyu was so nervous she almost jumped up, and a light, soft kiss landed on her forehead.

As if afraid of waking her, the kiss fell as lightly as a feather, and then seemed to be blown away by a gentle breeze, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

Gu Zhao got up and returned to his desk to work.

The study remained quiet. The window was open, and the sunlight gradually slanted westward, shining directly on her sleeping by the window and on him working at his desk, bathing them both in a tranquil and warm glow.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze blows from the river, and the mountains are shrouded in mist.

Suddenly, a flock of swallows began to circle noisily over the river. Gu Zhao got up again and gently closed the window to prevent their noise from disturbing someone's peaceful sleep under the window.

......

Zhu Qingyu accompanied Gu Zhao in the study for several days while he was handling official business. She did not do anything to add fragrance to his life, and every day she followed the same three routine: eating snacks, reading, and sleeping.

A hard chair like a grand master's chair is actually not suitable for sleeping. With your back unsupported, you'll experience shoulder pain, neck pain, headache, and pain all over your body if you sleep on it for even a short while.

On the first day, when the two had dinner together, Zhu Qingyu felt uncomfortable all over, and would subconsciously press her shoulders and move her neck from time to time.

She didn't complain to Gu Zhao, worried that if she did, Gu Zhao wouldn't let her stay in the study.

The next day, the layout of the study was changed.

Gu Zhao had her desk moved further inside, and a chaise lounge was placed for her by the window. Next to the lounge was a small tea table for snacks, and soft cushions and a small blanket were placed on the lounge.

This environment is so conducive to reading and sleeping that the effect is amazing. Now Zhu Qingyu can fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly while reading.

While Gu Zhao was working, people would occasionally come to him to report on things.

Not wanting her to be spied on by others, nor wanting to disturb her peaceful sleep, Gu Zhao had another room prepared next to the study for her to see people.

That afternoon, the boat stopped, as if it were going to stop at a ferry crossing.

Xiong Kun announced from outside the door, listing a string of names who wanted to see Gu Zhao.

After Gu Zhao left, Zhu Qingyu threw off the blanket and jumped up.

Although Zhu Qingyu didn't recognize any of the names on that list, the sheer number of people meant that Gu Zhao couldn't possibly finish the matter in just a few words; he would definitely be staying next door for a considerable amount of time.

Zhu Qingyu ran to the desk, her goal clear, and quickly flipped through the pages.

I carefully searched the place where the writing implements were stored, but unfortunately, I couldn't find anything that looked like a key.

Before he returned, Zhu Qingyu set her sights on the documents on his desk.

Gu Zhao probably also had obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although there were many documents on his desk, each stack was neatly categorized and arranged. Zhu Qingyu had memorized the positions for several days. She picked up each book from left to right, glanced at it quickly, and put it back in its original place if it was unrelated to Zhang Shen.

Just as she finished reading the last stack of books, footsteps sounded at the door. Zhu Qingyu's heart pounded, and she broke out in a sweat from nervousness, but her hands didn't tremble. At the last moment, she neatly stacked the last stack of books, ran to the bookshelf, randomly picked out a book, leaned against the bookshelf, slowly calmed her breathing, and began to read with her back to him.

Gu Zhao entered the room and found Zhu Qingyu reading a book. He smiled and said:

"woke up?"

Zhu Qingyu turned around, looking as if she had just woken up from a dream, and nodded.

The key isn't on the desk; it might be on Gu Zhao. But where could it be?

Gu Zhao moved closer and, noticing that she was staring at him, smiled:

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you still half asleep?"

Summer clothes are light and thin, unlike the layers upon layers of winter clothes. If they were on Gu Zhao, you could tell just by touching him.

The key is to find a legitimate reason to get close to him without arousing his suspicion.

Zhu Qingyu turned her head, a blush rising to her cheeks, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom, her tone both coquettish and reproachful:

"I was just being presumptuous; that's why I didn't even look at you."