Cheng Qianye's chair was very wide, so she moved to the side and let Mo Qiaosheng sit next to her.
She held the paper in one hand, frowning in thought, while she reached out with the other hand, held Mo Qiaosheng's hand and squeezed it gently.
There was no one else in the hall; it was spacious and quiet.
The palace door is open,
The afternoon sun shone lazily on the corridor outside the door.
Mo Qiaosheng looked at the person beside him. His lord was not as tall as him. From his angle, he could just see the long eyelashes drooping, trembling slightly occasionally, and the glass-like eyes shaking slightly, as he was concentrating on looking at the page of paper in his hand.
His heart ached slightly.
My lord is so good.
I…
He didn't dare to think any further.
Biyun tiptoed out of the hall and reached out her hand, closing the doors one by one.
The light in the hall dimmed.
Cheng Qianye finally reacted. She raised her head and looked at the man who had been silently accompanying her for a while.
She took Mo Qiaosheng's hand, hooked her cold fingers around his palm, and squeezed it hard.
Cheng Qianye's ambiguous gaze made Mo Qiaosheng feel a little confused.
In front of his lord, he always felt naked. His thoughts could always be easily guessed by his lord, and there was no secret at all.
My lord, did he see through my outrageous thoughts at a glance
I actually wanted to monopolize the lord.
"Qiao Sheng." Cheng Qianye called him and looked at him with amusement at the man who always had wild thoughts when he was in front of him.
She turned sideways and faced Mo Qiaosheng.
"Qiaosheng, if one day I suddenly lost my power, like Zhou Zixi, and became a person with nothing, would you still love me like this?"
"My lord, I am always my lord."
"What if my appearance changes and I become ugly, or if I am no longer what I am now and become a woman of low status. Will you still respect me and listen to me?"
"Woman?"
"I'm just using an analogy."
"No matter what the Lord looks like, in my heart he is..."
All are supreme.
Cheng Qianye smiled.
She opened the drawer of the desk, took out a silk-wrapped sandalwood box, pulled out the lid, and poured the box full of gems onto the table.
Bright red bloodstone, goose yellow beeswax, shiny emerald, crystal tourmaline... Gems of various shapes and sizes rolled on the dark table, each with its own brilliance, competing with each other in beauty, dazzling the eyes.
Cheng Qianye stretched out his fingers and moved the precious gems, picked up a purple crystal and looked at it through the light. He then pushed a piece of gold-threaded red jadeite and rolled it on the table.
"Is it beautiful? Qiao Sheng, are they all very beautiful?"
“They all look good.”
"These gems, each with its own characteristics, are beautiful and charming. I like them and collect them just to appreciate this beauty."
She withdrew her hand from picking the gem, reached into her collar, and picked out a thin gold chain from her tall white collar. At the bottom of the gold chain hung a crystal clear azure gem.
She took off the pebble-sized sapphire and placed it in Mo Qiaosheng's hand.
The gem, as blue as the sea water, carried her body temperature and rested quietly in Mo Qiaosheng's palm.
Mo Qiaosheng thought of the place where the stone had just been, and he felt his palms burning hot.
"Although they all have their own beauty, in my heart, the only one I like most is the sapphire. I wear it close to my chest and I will only wear it forever."
The man leaned forward with his hands on the chair, raised his head slightly, and looked at him with curved eyebrows. His lips parted slightly, and he said something that made Mo Qiaosheng so happy that he could hardly control himself.
"You are my sapphire, Qiao Sheng. I like you and only you."
Cheng Qianye twisted the thin golden chain, and slowly inserted the swaying azure gem along his fair neck into his collar.
The sunlight filtered through the window frames and streamed into the house. Countless tiny particles of dust danced in the light and shadow, casting an ambiguous atmosphere over this ancient palace.
Mo Qiaosheng closed his eyes, lowered his head and kissed the lips in front of him.
A pair of soft hands climbed up his neck, stroked his hair, and then held his face.
The man responded to him delicately and repeatedly, kissing him.
My lord, my lord, my only lord.
"Don't cry, Qiao Sheng. What can I do with you if you do this?"
Amidst the dejection and chaos, time seemed to stand still, and the man's tongue withdrew from his mouth with a silver thread on it.
The breathy voice whispered in his ear.
"You want it? Huh?"
"No...don't." He was flustered.
"Really?" Cheng Qianye raised his lips and said softly, "..."
After dinner, Cheng Qianye and Yao Tianxiang took a walk in the courtyard.
"Are you bullying Qiao Sheng again?" Yao Tianxiang asked.
"No way." Cheng Qianye was a little absent-minded.
"No? Why would you close the door in broad daylight? Biyun was guarding the door for you, making me wait for you for an hour."
Cheng Qianye stretched out his hand and whispered something into Yao Tianxiang's ear, and Yao Tianxiang giggled.
"You are so mean. Just do your best to bully others."
"I only touch him because he likes it in his heart." Cheng Qianye licked his lower lip, "I will never force him to do something he doesn't want to do."
"Nonsense, how do you know what he's thinking?" Yao Tianxiang rolled her eyes at her. "I heard that you recently accepted a new slave named Zhou Zixi. It is said that this person has a stunning appearance, is good at music, and is proficient in writing. You are very kind to him. I'm afraid Qiao Sheng doesn't know how upset he is."
"How did this rumor spread like this?" Cheng Qianye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I have neglected Qiao Sheng's thoughts these days. But I am attracted to Zhou Zixi not because of his good looks. I am attracted by his talent."
"Tianxiang, you should meet this man. He is a man of extraordinary talent, not inferior to Zhang Fu. In time, he will become a pillar of our Great Jin. In a few days, I will find a reason to get rid of his slavery and make good use of him in the court."
"What kind of person is he, to get such an evaluation from you in just a few days. It really aroused my curiosity. Can you take me to meet him tomorrow?" Yao Tianxiang said.
The second day.
When Cheng Qianye brought Yao Tianxiang to Zhou Zixi's room.
The tidy room was empty.
There was only a letter placed neatly on the table.
Cheng Qianye opened the envelope with embarrassment.
On several pages of thick letter paper, a detailed tax system proposal on how to promote population growth and increase tax revenue was written based on the current situation in Bianzhou. The benefits and possible drawbacks of the plan were also attached to the letter.
Apart from this, there is no unnecessary explanation.
These two people took advantage of the situation and left without saying goodbye, fleeing overnight.
Yao Tianxiang burst out laughing: "Aiya, Qianyu, you also have failures sometimes."
Cheng Qianye clutched the letter tightly, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Zhou Zixi's light was transparent and dazzling, without the golden edge of loyalty to her, nor the black and gray with malice. It was too dazzling to always be in front of her eyes, so Cheng Qianye often turned off the system without being afraid of him.
I didn't expect that he would actually plan to escape.
Cheng Qianye has been relying on the system recently, and everything has been going smoothly for her. Everyone around her is very kind to her.
She couldn't help but relax a little, as she didn't think that this person would want to escape.
"Alright, alright, don't be angry. Look at your face." Yao Tianxiang patted her shoulder. "There are people who like you and want to stay with you, and there are naturally people who don't like you and want to escape. This is all normal. Send Cheng Feng to catch that ungrateful guy and teach him a lesson."
At this moment, in a carriage dozens of miles away from Bianzhou.
Zhou Zixi looked at the small bag in the car with a serious expression.
"Sir, what are you still hesitating about?" Ayang looked at him worriedly.
Zhou Zixi frowned, "He has done me a favor."
A Yang said: "Jin Yue Hou is indeed a good man, but in order to repay his kindness, are you willing to be a slave for the rest of your life and stay in Jin to serve him? Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about the old lady."
Zhou Zixi sighed.
Ah Yang grabbed his arm and said, "Since the great changes in the mansion, I managed to escape, but I watched the master and the eldest son die tragically, and the ladies are nowhere to be found. I only heard that the lady escaped and was redeemed by her relative in Song State, the Crown Prince Ang, and was taken to Song State."
"At that time, I was anxious to find you, and after much searching, I finally found out your news. But at that time..."
She was somewhat unable to continue.
Zhou Zixi continued, "At that time, those beasts had not lost interest in me and thought I was a rare commodity, so you naturally couldn't buy me."
Ayang lowered her head and clenched her hands. She didn't want to recall that period of time again. The young man she respected the most in her heart actually suffered such humiliating treatment.
"Your servant..."
Zhou Zixi held her hand back, "Ayang, I am no longer a young master. Please stop calling yourself a slave and call me by my name. Although I am in prison, I have seen everything you have done for me. If you hadn't given me a glimmer of hope, I would have given up long ago."
"Sir, why are you saying these things?" This strong girl said with tears in her eyes. "My family has received great kindness from you. No matter who you are or what you look like, you will always be the Sir in my heart."
She recalled the regret in her heart: "At that time, I was very anxious, running around, asking for help from some old friends in the nearby mansion, but those people changed their faces without exception. They ignored me. I only regretted that I was incompetent and could not raise money earlier to save the young master from the dire situation."
"The good news is that after arriving in Bianzhou, I met a member of the Song State delegation. He was a servant of Prince Ang. He told me that Prince Ang not only took the old lady to Song State, but also sent people to look for your whereabouts."
"Sir." Ayang shook Zhou Zixi's hand, "We should go to Song State to seek refuge with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The old lady is from Song State, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Song State is your good friend. Since he can take the old lady over for the sake of old friendship, he will definitely treat you with courtesy."
Zhou Zixi pondered for a moment and said, "The Marquis of Jinyue is a reasonable lord. If I had told him the truth, he might not have been unwilling to let us go. He has taken care of me for a long time and saved my life. It is ungentlemanly for us to leave without saying goodbye. I really feel guilty towards him."
A Yang was anxious: "If we tell him and he disagrees, we won't be able to leave then. I've seen a lot of these nobles changing their faces in the blink of an eye. The old lady is all alone now, can you bear to abandon her?"
Zhou Zixi nodded and said no more.