The charcoal stove in the center of the private
room emitted a steady stream of heat, filling the entire room with a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Su Feng suddenly stood up and circled Zhou Yanzhi several times, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Yanzhi, Yanzhi, something's wrong with you, something really wrong."
Under Zhou Yanzhi's murderous glare, Su Feng continued his analysis: "You definitely didn't just break off a red plum blossom. Tell me, did you do something that would be considered an outrageous act?"
Zhou Yanzhi, who had broken into the boudoir at night: "..."
He guessed it all?
Zhou Yanzhi coughed lightly, feigning composure, and said, "Don't speak recklessly without evidence."
Su Feng retorted, "What reckless talk? I, Su Feng, am a master of analysis, and I've never been wrong in over a decade!" Then, Su Feng confidently stated, "And our Lord Zhou is an upright and honest man; he certainly wouldn't do something like murder for money. So, what's left... is only matters of the heart."
As Zhou Yanzhi's gaze became increasingly evasive with his analysis, Su Feng suddenly placed his hands on Zhou Yanzhi's shoulders, his peach blossom eyes burning with intensity, seemingly able to pierce through Zhou Yanzhi's eyes and see into his heart. He whispered, "Yanzhi, you wouldn't happen to have some romantic debt, would you?"
Upon hearing this, even Qi Minghua, who had been sitting calmly to the side, was stunned for a moment, looking at Zhou Yanzhi with disbelief in his eyes.
This 'romantic debt' was no pleasant term.
The three of them grew up together, and they knew Zhou Yanzhi's character well: chaste, aloof from women, and ruthless. To say he had romantic entanglements was less plausible than believing Su Feng could ascend to heaven on a sword; the latter seemed far more likely.
So how could it be?!
Leaving aside Qi Minghua's elaborate act, Zhou Yanzhi, already feeling guilty, immediately corrected her, "It's not romantic entanglements!"
"Then what is it?" Su Feng countered.
"It's..." Zhou Yanzhi was about to explain when he suddenly realized what he'd done, swatting away Su Feng's hand from his shoulder: "Are you kidding me?"
"Not at all." Su Feng nimbly slipped away, strolling leisurely behind Qi Minghua, and said seriously, "I'm analyzing this very seriously. You're the one with a guilty conscience, but you haven't said it out loud, have you?"
Zhou Yanzhi scoffed coldly and remained silent.
Intrigued, Su Feng, unfazed by Zhou Yanzhi's cold stare, asked with feigned curiosity, "Yanzhi, I never expected your story to be about romance! It's like a long-awaited flower finally blooming! As your best friend since childhood, could you tell me which girl it is?"
"Sure, want me to describe her to you?" Zhou Yanzhi smirked.
"Sure, sure!" Su Feng nodded frantically.
"Want me to take you to see her?" Zhou Yanzhi smiled gently.
"Really?!" Su Feng exclaimed excitedly, but hesitated for a second, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? What if we offend the girl?"
Qi Minghua: "..."
Who would they help if a fight broke out?
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
He really dares to think that way!
Su Feng's forced laughter made Zhou Yanzhi frown helplessly. "Su Yunyun, I don't have a girl I like."
"How could you... Waaah?!"
Qi Minghua firmly covered Su Feng's mouth, which was about to say something, and gave Zhou Yanzhi a very polite smile. "Ce'an, don't worry, I know. But if you're going to apologize to a girl, you have to cater to her tastes."
"Cate to her tastes..."
Zhou Yanzhi pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I know what to give her!"
He quickly thanked Qi Minghua, put on his fox fur cloak, and hurriedly left the private room.
After he left, Qi Minghua released his hand from Su Feng's mouth and wiped it with a handkerchief with considerable disgust.
The next second, Su Feng's questioning voice arrived as expected: "Why did you stop me?!"
Qi Minghua slowly warmed himself a cup of wine, giving Su Feng a look of utter disappointment, and sighed, "Although Ce'an is clueless about love, in my opinion, you're clueless about everything. Alas, how tragic..."
Su Feng: "..."
Su Feng: "Hey! What do you mean?!"
...
Anwang Mansion, second floor of the library.
A woman sat at a desk copying scriptures. The window beside her was half-open, and outside, snowflakes fluttered down, gently accumulating on a withered tree in the courtyard.
Through the window, one could see some bare branches; it was a chinaberry tree, its blossoms blooming in late spring, with summer approaching.
When Zhou Yanzhi was in the mansion, he often liked to rest here, listening to the rustling of the branches and watching the chinaberry blossoms bloom outside the window. It was winter, and he stood beneath a withered tree in a blue robe, gazing up at the graceful figure by the window.
Snowflakes drifted into the pavilion, melting into a puddle in the woman's hand as she held her brush.
Xie Xiangsi finished the last stroke, placed the brush on the brush holder, turned her head, and met Zhou Yanzhi's gaze with a slight smile: "Cousin, the wind is strong and the snow is heavy, why not come inside?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi seemed to awaken from a daze, using his lightness skill to leap into the air, landing by the window in the blink of an eye.
"How did you find me, cousin?"
"Your dark clothes made you stand out against the snow."
Xie Xiangsi stepped back, gesturing for Zhou Yanzhi to come in, then continued, "I thought you were just passing by, so I didn't say anything, but I didn't expect you to stand there for so long."
"It's alright."
...
A warm basin was lit inside the pavilion. Zhou Yanzhi took off his cloak and placed it aside, glanced at the scrolls on the table, and looked up at Xie Xiangsi: "Are you copying scriptures?"
"Yes." Xie Xiangsi nodded.
Since she had told her aunt yesterday that she had a habit of copying scriptures, she naturally had to actually copy them, otherwise she might give others something to gossip about. Therefore, after paying her respects to her aunt today, she came to the library.
One reason was to copy scriptures, and the other was to think alone about how to get involved in the Yangqu case.
If she hadn't already noticed Zhou Yanzhi's arrival, the Xuan paper on her table would probably be filled with plans instead of scriptures.
She answered earnestly, but Zhou Yanzhi, as if struck by a thought, asked with a strange expression, "You like reading scriptures?"
Hearing this, Xie Xiangsi was somewhat puzzled.
"No, why do you say that, cousin?"
"Oh, that's good."
Hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi visibly breathed a sigh of relief, then took a book from his sleeve, turned his face away, and handed it to Xie Xiangsi, saying somewhat awkwardly, "An apology." "An
apology?"
Xie Xiangsi took it with some doubt, glanced at the cover, and immediately froze.
The cover bore five extremely neat characters:
'Coroner's Record of Corpse Dissection'.
Opening the pages, she found not only detailed dissection procedures but also many lifelike illustrations of corpse dissections. Seriously, it was a rigorous and meticulously detailed manual for learning about coroners.
But... as an apology, it just felt so strange.
Amused, she held up the book, revealing the cover, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Cousin, why did you think of giving me 'The Coroner's Corpse-Analyzing Record'?"
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
Zhou Yanzhi was flustered, hesitant to meet Xie Xiangsi's gaze, his head bobbing up and down repeatedly. After a long pause, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Didn't you say you're interested in criminal investigation? I thought that
solving cases would inevitably involve dealing with corpses, so..." Xie Xiangsi: "..."
Although... but... who would give a girl something like this?!
Seeing her silence, Zhou Yanzhi was a little embarrassed: "You... you don't like it?"
He reached out to take back the "Coroner's Corpse-Analyzing Record," but Xie Xiangsi raised her arm and swung it back, preventing him from catching it.
"Hey!"
Xie Xiangsi waved the scripture twice, smiling brightly, "It was supposed to be an apology gift for me, why are you taking it back, cousin?"
Zhou Yanzhi coughed lightly twice, clenching his fist, and said softly, "Didn't you... not like it?"
He spoke very softly, as if he had some nameless grievance but was too embarrassed to say it aloud. Xie Xiangsi's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, and suddenly, a soft laugh escaped her lips.
"Pfft—"
She rolled up the book and slapped it in her hand again and again, until Zhou Yanzhi's body became more and more stiff with each slap, before Xie Xiangsi finally said with satisfaction, "Cousin, I didn't say I didn't like it."
Under Zhou Yanzhi's astonished gaze, she hugged the book to her chest, leaned forward, and said loudly, "Since cousin gave it to me, then this book is mine."
Just then, the sound of boots crunching on the snow came from outside the window, from far away to near, and from near to far, creaking and groaning.
Seeing Xie Xiangsi suddenly approach, Zhou Yanzhi's long eyelashes trembled rapidly, and his hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembled almost imperceptibly. After a moment,
he uttered softly, "If you like it, that's fine." But how could this small gesture escape Xie Xiangsi's notice?
Xie Xiangsi couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, thinking to herself, "
I've always thought Zhou Yanzhi was as cold as ice, aloof and unapproachable, capable of infuriating someone with a single word—a truly ruthless official.
I never expected him to have such a shy demeanor, which made me a little uncomfortable."
Thinking this, Xie Xiangsi's provocative instincts towards Zhou Yanzhi stirred, wondering what else she could say to tease him.
The next second, the sound of footsteps on a wooden staircase came from not far away.
"Thump, thump, thump—"
Both of them frowned simultaneously. On the surface, only Xie Xiangsi was present in this library today. If someone saw Zhou Yanzhi and the two of them alone in the room with no one else around, it might cause trouble.
Although Zhou Yanzhi was oblivious to romance, he still understood worldly principles.
Therefore, before Xie Xiangsi could say anything, Zhou Yanzhi climbed out the window again, just like the night before. But this time, he left in such a hurry that he didn't have time to put on his cloak.
Seeing the footsteps getting closer, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Xie Xiangsi quickly crumpled the dark cloak into a ball and casually tucked it into her snow-white fox fur coat.
Just as she finished doing this, the footsteps stopped a foot away.
"Miss, it's almost noon," came Qingshu's voice.
Xie Xiangsi pretended to carefully fold the scriptures and said gently, "Okay, I'll organize the scriptures and go back. You go downstairs and wait for me."
Hearing this, Qingshu replied with a "Yes" and quietly went downstairs.
Seeing the person gone, Xie Xiangsi breathed a sigh of relief and took Zhou Yanzhi's cloak out from under her snow-white fox fur coat.
Looking at the cloak in her hand, Xie Xiangsi sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
The style of this cloak was clearly men's clothing, with exquisite embroidery and luxurious fabric. If not handled properly, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
She needed to find an opportunity to return it to Zhou Yanzhi.
Thinking this, she unfolded the cloak, which she had haphazardly crumpled, intending to fold it carefully.
Suddenly, a slip of paper fluttered from the shaking cloak and landed quietly on the ground.
Jie Xiangsi picked it up, not intending to pry, but her attention was drawn to the exposed characters "Yangqu."
Yangqu, a place related to the Xiao family case.
Looking around, she carefully unfolded the slip of paper and lowered her eyes to read it. But upon reading it, her brows furrowed involuntarily, and her heart pounded wildly. The
slip of paper read: "Tenth day of the first lunar month, covert investigation of Yangqu."