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

At 3:45 AM, it was the normal time for Gu Zhao to get up.

This routine has remained unchanged since he entered the palace at the age of eight to serve as the emperor's tutor.

Although during his time in Yangzhou, Lord Gu neither had to accompany the Emperor nor attend the morning court sessions, and was away on official business, he should have been able to enjoy himself. However, his long-standing habits were hard to break, and he still got up at the same time every day.

Therefore, as a personal attendant, he naturally had to follow the master's example. Although Master Gu did not need much help with his daily life, the attendant would still wait at the door at the same time as usual, ready to give instructions when the master got up, washed, ate, or had something to say.

As soon as he reached the other end of the corridor, the old woman blocked his way like a gatekeeper, and kept giving him meaningful glances.

There were no women in Gu Zhao's front and back courtyards, and his maidservant, lacking the sensitivity to read the message in the old woman's eyes, looked at her with suspicion and continued walking inside, saying:

"Granny, are your eyes bothering you?"

The old woman was a professionally competent woman. Although she was very dissatisfied with her teammate's lack of tact, she still calmly said:

"Madam Zhu is inside."

Of course, the servant knew that Madam Zhu was inside. Madam Zhu had been living inside since she boarded the ship. He didn't go inside; he just stayed at the door to serve her. Why was he suddenly telling him this?

Just as he was about to ask, a thought suddenly clicked in his mind. The servant looked like he'd seen a ghost, mainly because he had no experience and didn't know how to handle the situation. He hesitated, unsure whether to leave or stay.

"Then what about me?"

The old woman made a decision for him:

"Come again at lunchtime."

Chang Sui nodded and ran off.

After seeing this person off, the old woman walked back. When she arrived at the cabin door, she saw the little maid she had arranged to guard the door, her face flushed and her body fidgeting.

The old woman waved her hand at her:

"Go back now."

This person is inexperienced; he just rushed over to her, saying that his master might have something to do and that she should come quickly.

The old woman thought something had happened to Zhu Qingyu, and she was so frightened that she ran upstairs while putting on her clothes.

Upon reaching the door, hearing the woman's suppressed and broken voice and the man's panting whispers, the old woman was almost speechless. She sighed and looked at the little maid:

"Just keep an eye on things and don't let anyone else get close, what's wrong with that?"

The little maid tugged at the old woman's sleeve:

"But, but, Madam Zhu's period hasn't ended yet, how can we, what should we do?"

Sigh, even though she's a naive young maid who's become a servant, she still retains this natural kindness.

"What's wrong with menstruation?" the nanny thought. "Within the inner quarters, in the boudoirs, there are many things going on. Even if one has to suffer some pain, it's still pitiful."

Although Lady Zhu is more precious than them, she is the same in front of Lord Gu. They are all servants. If Lord Gu wants her, can Lady Zhu refuse?

The old woman looked at the little maid with a forced smile:

"So what? If Lord Gu is willing, do you and I have any say in it? Do you dare to tell Lord Gu it's not allowed?"

The little maid certainly wouldn't dare; that's why she ran to find the nanny. Now that the nanny wouldn't allow her to interfere, she dared even less.

After the maid left, the old woman went to the tea room to get a stool and continued to keep watch as if in deep meditation. When dawn was breaking and the noise inside finally subsided, she got up and went to the tea room to prepare water.

Sure enough, after a while, they heard the sound of Lord Gu fetching water.

Hot water is kept on in the tea room all day long, and the nanny keeps a close eye on things inside. So as soon as Gu Zhao made the call, she brought the water in, so that the master wouldn't have to wait and the water temperature was just right.

The basin of water was taken to the outer room, and the nanny took a towel to prepare to go into the inner room to wash Zhu Qingyu. The nanny was very experienced in this kind of situation. With Master Gu acting so recklessly, who knew what might happen? If it wasn't cleaned up quickly, Lady Zhu might feel uncomfortable.

Gu Zhao then reached out his hand:

"I'll take care of it, you can go now."

Although this was actually the kind of work that servants were supposed to do, when Master Gu said he was coming, the nanny didn't ask any questions. She put down her things, bowed, and left quietly.

Gu Zhao personally carried the water to the inner room, but upon entering, he saw Zhu Qingyu standing in front of the wardrobe with her back to him, putting on her clothes.

Her dark hair cascaded down, and her once smooth, white back was now covered with fingerprints, kiss marks, and even teeth marks, like large and small red plum blossoms fallen on snow.

Gu Zhao was a little envious. He had just been so immersed in that wonderful experience that he had lost his sense of proportion and intensity and couldn't control himself.

Zhu Qingyu was tying the straps on the back of Xiaoyi's clothes, but it didn't seem to be going very smoothly.

Gu Zhao walked over and reached out to help her:

"Let me do it, does your hand hurt?"

Zhu Qingyu turned away from the wardrobe chest, avoiding his touch, and put on her undergarments. She then took out an inner garment and replied:

"I can do it myself."

Her expression was very calm; she showed neither shyness from their recent intimacy nor fear from his loss of control.

Even their attitude towards him remained the same; they neither became closer nor more distant.

It was as if nothing had just happened, or as if what had just happened was just a trivial little thing.

It's as if the relationship between the two hasn't changed at all.

Gu Zhao looked at her empty palms, somewhat confused. What was she thinking?

He thought that at least it was her initiative that started it, which meant that she still had some feelings for him, but was unable to fully open her heart to him because of her husband and the constraints of human relations and morality.

It was precisely because he sensed that slight possibility of affection that he was overwhelmed by a tremendous surprise, which is why he lost control just now.

He longed to crush her and devour her whole, to merge with her and make her unable to escape his side, but he was constrained by her current physical condition and could not do so. His unreleased joy, impulse and dissatisfaction fell upon her in a chaotic manner.

She must have feelings for him, right? It's not entirely one-sided love on his part, otherwise why would she be willing to do something like this for him?

right?

is it?

Now, because of her overly calm attitude, Gu Zhao is unsure again.

Zhu Qingyu finished dressing, walked past Gu Zhao, washed her hands in the basin, and then said:

"Shouming, I'm a little sleepy, I want to sleep a little longer."

Gu Zhao watched as she got into bed, covered herself with the blanket, lay down, and closed her eyes.

He followed her and, seeing her sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed, became even more confused.

What was she really thinking?

Zhu Qingyu closed her eyes and lay there for a while. She was both sleepy and in pain. Her whole body ached, her hands ached, and the place where Gu Zhao had bitten her hurt even more.

This man really is like a dog; he's been bitten by one.

It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.

She thought to herself that the human body has seventy-eight organs, each of which performs a different function. This one and that one are essentially just parts of the human body. She was a doctor who had examined many patients. She could treat this as just another examination, something that enriched her clinical experience. It was nothing serious and didn't matter.

Zhu Qingyu, who was comforting herself like this, was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and desperately needed a good night's sleep to relieve the fatigue.

The road ahead is long, and she still has a long way to go. She needs to rest and recuperate before she can face it.

But if someone stands at the head of her bed and keeps staring at her, she can feel it even with her eyes closed, making it impossible for her to fall asleep.

Zhu Qingyu opened her eyes again, looked at Gu Zhao who was staring at her with deep eyes, and asked:

"Shouming, do you... still want it?"