Hot flashes

After several days of being haunted by nightmares and that failed attempt at "relief," Xiao Jue made a decision.

He was used to being in control, whether it was the situation on the battlefield or his own desires. Now that the crux of the problem was clear, there was no need to continue to avoid or suppress it.

With a simple transfer order, Zhou Heng was moved directly from the document duty room of the outer study to the outer room of the inner study where Xiao Jue handled military affairs. He was responsible for organizing core documents that required Xiao Jue's immediate review or personal approval, and for recording some more confidential military orders.

This practically put him right under their noses, significantly increasing the level of confidentiality they accessed and the frequency of their encounters with Xiao Jue.

On the surface, the reasons were sound: Zhou Heng was meticulous and accurate in his records, and his previous "game" strategy had been inspiring, making him suitable for the more important task of document processing. No one dared to question the Marquis of Zhenbei's decision.

When Zhou Heng received the transfer order, he was filled with trepidation, feeling both a vague joy at the prospect of promotion and a fear of facing even more demanding work.

He was unaware that the arrangement had any intention beyond official business, and simply took it as the Marquis's further recognition of his abilities. He became even more vigilant, striving to avoid making the slightest mistake.

Zhou Heng's night shifts quietly increased, and sometimes Xiao Jue would even stay behind specifically to handle some old files that weren't particularly urgent but that he was specifically asked to organize.

A larger and more comfortable desk was added to the outer room of the inner study, equipped with better writing brushes and ink, a brighter oil lamp, and more charcoal fire than elsewhere.

If Zhou Heng lost track of time due to his focus, his personal guards would "just happen" to bring him a midnight snack. Although it was still military food, there was always an extra dish of refreshing side dishes or a bowl of hot soup.

Xiao Jue treated him in the same way as before, even more harshly.

If a border map is even slightly unclear, it will be subject to cold scrutiny and merciless corrections; if a recorded oral message is not concise and accurate enough, it will be required to be rewritten.

Zhou Heng was often forced to break out in a cold sweat by that invisible pressure, feeling that the Marquis's gaze was piercing and his demands were almost harsh.

But he occasionally captures moments that are hard to describe.

For example, when his neck became stiff from sitting at his desk for a long time and he unconsciously raised his hand to rub it, Xiao Jue's gaze would sometimes shift from the documents in his hand and linger on his neck for a moment. His eyes were unfathomable, making him subconsciously stop and straighten his back.

For example, once he accidentally knocked over an inkstone, and ink splattered on his sleeves. Xiao Jue did not scold him, but simply said, "Go and clean it up." But when he returned with clean clothes, he found that the expensive inkstone had been washed clean and placed steadily on the table, as if nothing had happened.

These details were trivial and contradictory, and Zhou Heng had no time to delve into them. He simply attributed them to the Marquis's unpredictable temperament, and that he himself needed to be even more cautious.

However, not everyone was as oblivious as Zhou Heng. Chen Zhen, who had followed Xiao Jue like a shadow for years, was the first to notice the difference.

Chen Zhen had followed Xiao Jue for many years and knew his master's temperament well. The Marquis was not the type to fawn over his subordinates, and he had never shown such...secret attention to any man or woman before.

This attention carries a restrained scrutiny, a subtle sense of demarcating territory.

Thinking back to the day the Marquis unusually demanded a woman and then immediately rejected her, and the earlier incident involving Section Chief Wang... Chen Zhen gradually understood, and his gaze towards Zhou Heng's busy figure became complicated.

That day, after repelling a group of Qiang and Hu harassing squads, Xiao Jue was in a rare good mood and allowed several of his generals to have a drink.

Zhou Heng, serving as a close attendant and scribe, also sat at the end of the table to record the proceedings. The atmosphere at the banquet was more relaxed than usual, with the generals toasting and chatting.

Zhou Heng was not a good drinker, and no one deliberately urged him to drink. However, Chen Zhen unusually took the initiative to bring over a wine glass and toasted Zhou Heng, citing "his previous warning" as the reason.

Zhou Heng was flattered and dared not refuse, so he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. The wine was very strong, and it made his eyes red.

Immediately afterwards, two more lieutenants who were on good terms with Chen Zhen and had no ill feelings towards Zhou Heng, as if they had received some kind of hint, also came over with smiles to offer a toast.

The reasons were varied, some thanking him for the thoroughness of the documents, others praising his ingenuity. Zhou Heng couldn't refuse, and after several drinks, he felt dizzy, his stomach burning, and his vision beginning to blur.

Already having a low alcohol tolerance, he couldn't withstand such "enthusiasm" and soon slumped onto the table, completely drunk and unconscious.

All he remembered was that Chen Zhen caught his swaying body, and his voice seemed to come from a great distance: "Zhou the clerk is drunk, I'll take him back to rest."

Zhou Heng wanted to say that he could walk, but his tongue wouldn't obey him, and his legs felt weak as if he were walking on cotton. He could only let Chen Zhen half-support and half-carry him away from the noisy banquet venue.

Instead of being sent back to his simple guardhouse, he was taken to another, more secluded and heavily guarded courtyard.

Chen Zhen helped him through the quiet corridor and pushed open a door. The room was warm and filled with a cool, clean scent of pine wood, mixed with a very faint, indistinguishable, cold, and hard smell that belonged to Xiao Jue.

Zhou Heng was placed on a large, sturdy bed. The bed was covered with a thick brocade mattress, the feel of which was completely different from the hard board he usually slept on.

He was extremely dizzy, feeling the world spinning around him. He didn't even have the strength to struggle, and he passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

A moment later, Xiao Jue finished processing several urgent military reports and returned to his quarters.

Pushing open the door, I didn't immediately notice anything amiss until I went around the screen and saw a familiar figure lying on my bed, which I never allowed anyone to approach easily.

Zhou Heng lay on his side, facing inward, seemingly in a deep sleep.

The outer robe had been removed, leaving only a thin inner garment. Due to drunkenness and an uneasy sleeping posture, the collar was slightly open, revealing a small section of the collarbone and the lines of the neck.

Her jet-black hair was scattered messily on the dark brocade quilt, making her face, flushed with an unnatural redness from being drunk, appear even whiter.

His breathing was slightly heavy, carrying the smell of alcohol, his long eyelashes cast quiet shadows under his eyelids, and his lips were unconsciously slightly parted.

Xiao Jue paused by the screen, his gaze suddenly darkening, sharp as an ice blade.

He did not step forward immediately, but glanced at the porcelain bottle beside Zhou Heng, which was clearly not Zhou Heng's own.

"Chen Zhen." Xiao Jue's voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling coldness as it rang out in the silent room.

Chen Zhen, who had been waiting in the shadows outside the door, immediately pushed the door open and knelt on one knee: "My Lord."

"Who gave you permission to act on your own?" Xiao Jue didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the person sleeping on the bed. His tone was calm, but it was suffocating.

Chen Zhen lowered his head, his voice steady and unwavering: "Your subordinate has overstepped his bounds. However... I have noticed that Your Majesty is troubled recently. Now that this young man is in this position, if Your Majesty requires... I will simply make thorough preparations to avoid any complications. Everything is at Your Majesty's discretion."

He paused, then added, "The porcelain bottle contains a secret palace medicine. Applying it afterward can reduce swelling and... leave no trace, so that the person will only feel the usual hangover fatigue the next day and will not notice anything unusual."

Another moment of suffocating silence followed.

Xiao Jue stood silently, shadows covering most of his face, obscuring his expression. After a long while, he uttered two words in a very soft, almost inaudible voice: "Get out."

Chen Zhen felt as if he had been granted a pardon, or as if he had expected it. He stood up decisively, bowed, and left, gently closing the door behind him. He left the room in a warm yet dangerous silence for the two people behind him.