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

Zhu Qingyu had always known that, in terms of ability alone, Gu Zhao was the best candidate in the capital to change the emperor's mind and thus rescue Zhang Shenqing from prison.

He had previously gotten Shen Xu out of prison and had practical experience.

He was also the emperor's cousin, and had once been the emperor's study companion. They grew up together and had an unusually close relationship.

As the presiding judge in the salt smuggling case, it wouldn't be abrupt for him to speak; it would be perfectly reasonable and natural.

The only problem, and the biggest problem, is that he has no intention of saving Zhang Shen; in fact, he has the opposite intention.

So when she was in the capital, Zhu Qingyu never took the initiative to look for him. But every time she encountered him, she tried her best not to offend him, just to maintain this delicate balance, to appease him and make sure that even if he couldn't help, he wouldn't cause trouble.

But now Gu Zhao is saying, why don't you think about coming to me and begging me?

This is a different signal; the fact that he brought it up himself proves that he is now willing to make demands of her.

Zhu Qingyu didn't know what made Gu Zhao compromise, but for her, this was a good opportunity to test whether he was really willing to help with Zhang Shen's case.

There are gains and losses; she could accept the conditions he proposed.

So when Gu Zhao asked him to beg, Zhu Qingyu didn't hesitate at all and grabbed Gu Zhao's sleeve:

"Shouming, I beg you, please help me get my second cousin out of prison and clear his name, okay?"

Gu Zhao buried his face in her ear and chuckled, gently kissing her earlobe. He couldn't resist biting it, and the more he tasted it, the more he couldn't resist, so he bit her neck as well, commenting:

"Qingyu, you smell so sweet."

Zhu Qingyu felt a tickle from his bite and turned her head away, inwardly cursing, "What's wrong with me? I'm not made of candy!" But she still asked aloud:

"Shouming, I'm begging you, please help me, okay?"

Gu Zhao cupped her face to prevent her from dodging, kissing her from her neck up to her chin, then to her lips, prying open her teeth to taste her. From the initial light touches to the sudden onslaught, they kissed until they were both breathless before he finally let her go.

Reaching down to touch the lipstick smudged on his lips, Gu Zhao stared at her with deep, unfathomable eyes, and commented again:

"It's so sweet, you know, Qingyu. The first time I saw you, I wanted to treat you like this, but you just ran away. I missed you for so long, and I kept dreaming about you at night. I was about to give up, but then I ran into you again in Yangzhou. Don't you think this is our destiny?"

Zhu Qingyu was startled. She had never known when or why Gu Zhao had developed feelings for her, but when he said it was the first time they met, they hadn't even spoken a word to each other.

Although inwardly shocked, Zhu Qingyu changed the subject, speaking with remarkable composure:

"You think it's sweet, maybe you like the scent of my lip balm. How about I give you some? Please help me out."

Gu Zhao leaned down and hugged her again, almost pressing his whole body against hers. The two of them squeezed together on the small chaise lounge, their legs touching and their arms touching, almost as if they were embedded in each other.

He rested his head on her shoulder, his breath warm against her ear, and said with a hint of grievance:

"Qingyu, you're being unfair to me. When you ask others for favors, you offer beautiful jade and other gifts. But when it comes to me, you just give me empty words. You know perfectly well what I want, so don't try to pretend you don't. I miss you so much. I think about you all day and dream about you all night. You're everywhere I look, whether I'm awake or asleep. I haven't had a good night's sleep since I met you. Will you marry me? If you marry me, I'll help you get Zhang Jingyan out of prison."

His condition was particularly obvious, and he didn't seem to be trying to hide it; what he wanted was obvious.

Zhu Qingyu reached out and hugged his shoulder, continuing his conversation:

"Okay, if you help me rescue Jingyan, I'll marry you."

The beauty's promise flowed like a clear spring, bringing unprecedented comfort to the heart that had been parched and cracked by unrequited love.

But perhaps because he had been deceived by her too many times, even after hearing her promise with his own ears, Gu Zhao was not blinded by joy. Instead, he soberly and painfully negotiated terms with her:

"Once I rescue Zhang Jingyan, you'll definitely run away and won't marry me. You have to marry me first before I rescue him."

I have to run, of course I have to run. If I don't run, am I supposed to stay and spend the New Year with him?

But since he was so cautious, he asked her to fulfill the conditions first, and she had no objection.

In an equivalent exchange, he holds the initiative, and she can make the first move.

Zhu Qingyu turned her head, gently touched his cheek with the corner of her lips, and reached out to touch his belt:

"Okay, I'll marry you. Let's get married today, right now! Please help me get him out, okay?"

With a beautiful woman in his arms, and being touched by her on her own initiative, Gu Zhao almost gasped for breath, but he held down her mischievous hand and stopped her.

"Qingyu, what are you doing?" Gu Zhao asked.

Zhu Qingyu was somewhat confused:

"Huh? Didn't you say you wanted to?"

Did she misunderstand?

impossible!

He brought her here today on purpose, to this mountain villa deep in the mountains, his territory, surrounded by his men, just so she wouldn't run away.

He then said a bunch of sweet nothings to coax her into going to bed with him, then proposed the terms of the deal, and then took the initiative to touch her.

She was just cooperating with him to fulfill the transaction; surely she couldn't have made a mistake?

Gu Zhao stood up, saw the blank look on her face, and sighed:

"Qingyu, the marriage I'm talking about is a real marriage. I'm not trying to trick you into having an affair with me without a matchmaker. The marriage I'm talking about is when your father and brothers come to the capital, and we ask our elders and a matchmaker to come to your residence to formally propose. We'll go through the proper formalities of marriage, with the traditional three letters and six rites, and a grand sedan chair carried by eight men. It will be a legitimate and proper union. I really want to marry you. I told you that last time, but didn't you take it seriously? You even went out of your way to send a dowry to Miss Zhuang."

Of course, how can you take that seriously?

Zhu Qingyu never believed Gu Zhao's suggestion that she marry him.

He's probably in a frenzy right now because he can't get what he wants and hasn't really gotten started yet. He's so caught up in the moment that he'd make any promise he could make, even if it meant plucking stars from the sky or grabbing the moon from the water.

Of course, at this very moment, on this intimate little couch, the man, driven by desire and seeking pleasure, might genuinely have the intention to marry her.

However, he didn't have that ability; Zhu Qingyu didn't believe he could handle the huge difference in their identities and statuses.

Since he can't do it anyway, why not agree to it?

Besides, even if I marry him, so what? You can get a divorce, and if you can't get a divorce, you can become a widow.

Zhu Qingyu's bewildered expression vanished, replaced by a gentle smile:

"Ah, I see. Okay, I'll take it seriously and agree. So, how do you plan to marry me? You said you'd arrange for my father and brothers to become eighth-rank imperial physicians. Can your elders accept having an eighth-rank official as a relative by marriage?"

Gu Zhao was actually a little regretful. He didn't know why he always couldn't control his mind when he saw her. He always wanted to kiss her, hug her, bite her, and stick close to her, so much so that he didn't even have a chance to talk about serious matters.

Now that she was finally starting to formally discuss marriage with him, Gu Zhao sat up straight, moved a little further away from her, and said seriously:

"Not an eighth-rank official, but a third-rank official. A daughter from the family of the Minister of the Imperial Medical Academy, a third-rank official, is qualified to discuss marriage with the Duke's family."