Since escaping from the dark and hopeless male brothel, he had been maneuvering in this dark officialdom. For ten years, he had lurked in this world shrouded in black mist, with Qiu Shuzhi as his only solace. He had endured this gloomy period by clinging to thoughts of her. Only the spring of Qiu Shuzhi's appearance brought long-absent vividness to his life.
"Do you have any business in coming this time?"
Qiu Shuzhi smiled faintly: "Look at me, I've forgotten about this matter. I came today to ask you to take back those young men."
Yue Guanyi's expression changed, and he asked nervously: "Is Official Qiu dissatisfied with them? Do you find their appearances unattractive?"
His heart pounded, and his breathing slowed. He had sent those men to Qiu Shuzhi intending to provide her with some diversion, but it seemed he had been too clever for his own good.
"I'll go find you some more beautiful men who understand poetry." Yue Guanyi said carefully, the corners of his eyes turning slightly red with tension.
Qiu Shuzhi shook her head disapprovingly: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but my household is too small. I don't need these men."
Since ancient times, which woman didn't have a harem full of husbands? But Qiu Shuzhi had never taken a husband since coming of age, not even a small attendant to warm her bed.
If before he could deceive himself with the reason of Qiu Shuzhi's family's decline, now that she had become an official in the capital, countless men in the city wanted to marry her, yet she still remained chaste. He couldn't help but have some unsavory guesses.
His thick eyelashes trembled slightly, the corners of his eyes reddening to an almost rich hue: "Does Official Qiu already have a man she admires?"
Qiu Shuzhi was taken aback, and it was this moment of hesitation that made Yue Guanyi feel as if he had been sentenced to death, his heart stopping.
A moment later, Qiu Shuzhi laughed dryly: "Your Highness is joking. This official has no one in her heart. Please allow those men to reunite with their families."
Yue Guanyi let out a long sigh of relief, like a drowning person pulled from the water, his heart beginning to beat again after nearly stopping.
He was relieved that Qiu Shuzhi hadn't been captivated by other men, yet also vaguely regretful. If she had someone in her heart, and that person was himself, how wonderful that would be.
He quickly concealed his bitter and obscure thoughts: "Alright."
"There's one more thing this official would like to ask Your Highness."
"What is it?" Yue Guanyi looked at her.
Qiu Shuzhi placed a medium-sized box that had been beside her on the table and opened it to reveal a row of neatly arranged gold ingots.
"This official feels unworthy to accept this. Please take it back, Your Highness."
Yue Guanyi's eyes flickered, slightly surprised: "How did you know it was from me?"
Qiu Shuzhi wasn't foolish. To be able to place a box of gold in her courtyard without anyone knowing, in broad daylight while Qiu Qiushuang was at home, and without leaving a name, this couldn't be the work of an ordinary official.
If it were the young Emperor, she wouldn't need to hide it.
Jiang Si, she had a penchant for sending men.
As for the Empress Dowager, although she had helped her enter the Shun Tian Prefecture, there was always an invisible thread binding her, constantly restraining her. She wouldn't need to do such a thing.
Thinking it through, the only one who made sense and had the ability to do such a thing was Yue Guanyi.
Qiu Shuzhi wasn't stupid, and she hadn't watched idol dramas in her past life for nothing. The way Yue Guanyi acted around her - flustered, panicked, and eager to please - was just like a teenage boy experiencing his first crush.
But to say that Yue Guanyi liked her seemed absurd and unbelievable. She and Yue Guanyi had never interacted before, let alone met. How could he suddenly like her?
And more importantly, there was Yue Guanyi's identity. Could someone who could navigate the officialdom so skillfully, thriving as a man in a world of women, really be so lovesick?
She didn't believe it.
Rather than this ridiculous guess full of pink bubbles, Qiu Shuzhi, somewhat conspiracy-minded, felt that Yue Guanyi, like the Empress Dowager, wanted to use her as a pawn.
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