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

When Zhu Qingyu hid the key under her pillow that day, she was planning to fool Gu Zhao, regroup, and find an opportunity to go to the study again.

Later, he became delirious with fever, so he couldn't even bother to fool Gu Zhao, let alone keep track of the key. By the time the fever subsided and he regained consciousness, Gu Zhao had already taken the key back.

It was such a close call, yet all efforts were in vain.

Gu Zhao felt that she had been manipulated, and that she was furious because of her actions, which were sometimes soaring to the heavens and sometimes sinking to the earth.

But for Zhu Qingyu, the repeated and exhaustive attempts to see this file, without success, must have been a rollercoaster of emotions, a great upheaval, and a severe blow.

Zhu Qingyu has been feeling listless these past few days, and this is precisely the reason.

Now that Gu Zhao has taken the initiative to bring the box, triggering the main quest again, Zhu Qingyu is immediately energized and her fighting spirit is rekindled.

You piece of trash!

You're enjoying good food and drink here, while Jingyan is probably suffering somewhere else!

Forget about attacking, forget about being weary, rise up and fight!

Zhu Qingyu rushed to the box with high spirits, ready to catch Gu Zhao off guard. She reached out to open the box, intending to grab the dossier first and then look at it.

As for the rest, who cares? As long as she can get it, she's already seen it, so how could he expect her to spit it out?

As if knowing what she was thinking, Gu Zhao anticipated it. The moment Zhu Qingyu's hand touched the box, Gu Zhao reached out and pressed it down, covering the box with his hand.

Zhu Qingyu looked up, and Gu Zhao also looked down.

The two looked at each other, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Well, when you're under someone else's roof, you should just lower your head; it's not shameful.

Zhu Qingyu smiled gently, took Gu Zhao's hand that was covering the box with her other hand, and asked:

"Shouming, let me see it, okay? Just for fifteen minutes, then return it, alright?"

A few days later, Gu Zhao was once again tricked by Zhu Qingyu's gentle charms, and he actually felt a little nostalgic and even a little excited.

They were so intimate that night. Although they couldn't go all the way because of her physical condition, their skin pressed together without any barriers, their breaths mingling between their lips and teeth, the marks he left on her body, and the unprecedented, cloud-like experience she gave him—all of these things made Gu Zhao unable to forget them for a long time.

Sometimes, when Gu Zhao is working, she would sometimes drift off into her own thoughts, and fragments of her memories from that night would suddenly float into her mind.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, her arm or leg would unconsciously brush against him, and Gu Zhao would always wake up immediately, holding her hand under the covers, feeling an irresistible urge.

He wanted more, he longed for more, he was almost going crazy with desire, but she just happened to fall ill.

Even after she woke up, she seemed to have completely forgotten about it, not mentioning it at all. In the past few days, she has been extremely cold to him, as if what happened was just his dream and had nothing to do with her.

After being ignored for several days, Gu Zhao's mind, which had been clouded by their physical intimacy that night, gradually calmed down. He finally had to admit that the slight affection he had secretly speculated about, and even her initiative, was probably, very likely, just another instance of her feigned affection.

But so what?

Human hearts are inherently unpredictable; what you hold in your hand is what truly matters.

She can't keep up this act forever, can she?

She'd better be able to keep up the act forever.

Gu Zhao grasped Zhu Qingyu's outstretched hand and smiled, making no mention of the past or trying to argue with her about why she had acted that way. Instead, she asked:

"Qingyu, if you want to know what Zhang Jingyan did wrong, why don't you just ask me?"

Zhu Qingyu let him hold her hand, opened the box with her other hand, and still managed to give him a perfunctory reply:

"You can't tell me about the case, can you? I don't want to put you in a difficult position. Just give me fifteen minutes to sneak a peek. Even if it gets unearthed later, it's my fault for being the one who snooped, and it won't be your fault, okay?"

There were several items of different sizes inside, and what was placed on top looked to Zhu Qingyu like an account book.

Why ledgers?

Zhu Qingyu took out the account book and opened it. When she saw the familiar handwriting, she was startled.

It was Zhang Shen's handwriting! Written with his left hand.

Once, during a casual chat, Zhang Shen told her that he was left-handed when he was a child. He initially practiced writing with his left hand, but his teacher forced him to change. So now he can write with both hands, and the handwriting is different. He even specially demonstrated writing with his left hand for her.

Gu Zhao did not stop Zhu Qingyu from looking through the account books, but instead asked, following up on her topic:

"Are you afraid of making things difficult for me, or afraid that I'm lying to you? Qingyu, do you think that Zhang Shen was framed by me when he was imprisoned? I can tell you clearly that I did not interfere in his case at all. He was guilty and deserved it. You have gone to so much trouble for him, even putting yourself in the line of duty. Have you ever thought that you have completely mistaken the good guy for the bad guy, and that he is not worth your sacrifice?"

Zhu Qingyu was shocked again. She looked at Gu Zhao and thought he had suddenly mastered mind reading. What he said was almost exactly the same as what she thought.

The reason she was so insistent on seeing the case file with her own eyes was because she simply did not believe that Zhang Shen could have committed any crime of deceiving the emperor.

This terrifying charge, when applied to Zhang Shen, defies basic logic and objective laws.

Zhang Shen couldn't even reach the Emperor, a figure so high and mighty, and had never even seen him.

Since they are out of reach and have no connection whatsoever, how can they deceive the emperor?

Zhu Qingyu firmly believed from beginning to end that Zhang Shen had been framed.

She certainly dared not listen to Gu Zhao's one-sided story. In her mind, if anyone was suspected of framing Zhang Shen, Lord Gu would be number one.

Therefore, she needed to see the case file with her own eyes to understand the reasons, sort out the clues, find the right direction, and find a way to save Zhang Shen.

But now Gu Zhao says that Zhang Shen has conclusive evidence, and this conclusive evidence is laid bare in front of Zhu Qingyu.

Zhu Qingyu released Gu Zhao's hand, sat down at the table, opened the account book, and calmly turned the pages one by one.

Nearly three years later, the name Zhao Shiyuan, which she had almost forgotten, came back into her field of vision.

At that time, Zhao Shiyuan wanted to marry her as his eighteenth concubine. In order to help her delay the marriage, Zhang Shen gave Zhao Shiyuan a lot of money.

If you send three thousand taels today and five thousand taels tomorrow, Zhao Shiyuan will be quiet for a few days. But after a few days of peace, Zhao Shiyuan will come again.

No matter how much money the Zhang family has, it can't withstand this kind of squandering. Moreover, Zhao Shiyuan is greedy and insatiable. Even if the entire Zhang family is sacrificed, it will be useless. She can't possibly use the Zhang family's money with a clear conscience.

So at that time, Zhu Qingyu said to Zhang Shen:

"Don't send any more money."

Zhang Shen seemed to sense something and kept trying to persuade her:

"Qingyu, don't be impulsive, things might turn out differently."

Zhu Qingyu initially thought Zhang Shen was just comforting her, but unexpectedly, a few days later, things really took a turn for the better.

Zhao Shiyuan, who seemed arrogant and powerful in Yangzhou, was suddenly investigated and punished.

Zhu Qingyu always thought it was just good luck.

How could she be so naive as to actually think that she was just lucky?

There was someone who, without her knowledge, took all the risks for her and shielded her from the storm.

Now, she finally witnessed with her own eyes the unreserved love that Zhang Shen had poured into her many years ago.