Volume 1, Chapter 42: Prefect Zhou, Are You Unwilling?

In a daze, Xie Shu looked at the man before her, winding her entire body around him like a soft serpent. Her cheek pressed tightly against his chest, the cool satin of his brocade robe soothing the feverish heat that flushed her face.

"So cool," Xie Shu murmured twice, as a faint, delicate scent of osmanthus drifted over. Unable to help herself, she took a few light sniffs, then involuntarily raised her chin slightly, pressing her lips against the man's neck.

Even though the high, stiff collar blocked the woman's warm breath, the tickling, sensual heat still managed to creep through the gaps in the collar little by little.

"Xie Shu, wake up. You've been drugged." Sensing that the woman's demeanor was entirely wrong, Zhou Xunli turned his head away, dodging Xie Shu's advance.

So, she wasn't ill after all.

However, this warning did little good.

This drug was simply too potent.

Just moments ago, Xie Shu had bitten her tongue hard just to barely endure it.

Especially since the person before her was Zhou Xunli!

That very Zhou Xunli, who was known for his self-discipline, propriety, and noble restraint!

If it had to be him, perhaps it wouldn't be unacceptable.

Xie Shu's willpower was steadily crumbling. Her mind began to race with wild thoughts: hadn't she leaned against him in a similar manner that day? What would be the harm if it happened once more?

Xie Shu reasoned with herself over and over in her heart. Wrapping her arms around Zhou Xunli's waist, her fingertips tugged at his belt, only for the man before her to catch her wrists in a firm grip.

"Xie Shu, look closely. Who am I?" Zhou Xunli halted her movements, using his other hand to gently lift her chin, forcing her to open her eyes and look at him.

Xie Shu raised her head, and that breathtaking, otherworldly face fell into her vision once more. Blinking her innocent, doe-like eyes, she pleaded, "Lord Zhou, are you unwilling?"

Unwilling?

A thought flashed through Zhou Xunli's mind—if it were her...

The honest reaction of his body forced Zhou Xunli to admit that if it was Xie Shu, he indeed could be willing.

Except... except that she was already... the Heiress Consort of the Marquis of Cheng'en's Mansion.

"Xie Shu, you shouldn't ruin yourself over this." Zhou Xunli sighed; some things, once they had happened, could never be undone.

Xie Shu did not understand. Leaning forward, looking like a captivating vixen from the deep mountains, she said with a bewitching expression, "If I could share a single night of intimacy with Lord Zhou, I would gladly die."

Tracing circles with her fingertips against the man's lapel, Xie Shu refused to believe that Zhou Xunli could truly remain completely unmoved.

Yet the very next second, Xie Shu froze entirely.

Zhou Xunli tore down a wind-blocking curtain from nearby, and with a swift twist of his hands, he directly wrapped Xie Shu up within it, layer upon layer, until she was completely immobilized.

Just as Xie Shu was about to open her mouth to question him, a pill was thrust straight between her lips.

"A cooling pill. While it cannot detoxify the poison, it will allow you to endure for a few more hours." Having said that, Zhou Xunli hoisted Xie Shu over his shoulder and strode out the door.

Swallowing, Xie Shu's consciousness remained hazy, yet that unbearable, scorching heat seemed to gradually subside somewhat.

Outside, those black-clad assassins had already fled.

Lin Sheng returned empty-handed, feeling deeply ashamed of his failure. Cupping his fists and dropping to one knee, he reported to Zhou Xunli, "This subordinate is incompetent and let them escape. However, that group of black-clad individuals just now seemed acquainted with someone else and deliberately blocked my path."

"Where did these people come from?" Zhou Xunli glanced over the chaotic Mingxuan Study.

Lin Sheng hesitated for a moment, recalling the movement techniques of the black-clad group from earlier, and said, "I'm afraid they are all martial artists from the Jianghu. Each of them possesses superb martial arts and specialized agility. Someone must have hired mercenaries."

Zhou Xunli nodded. "Go to every checkpoint and check the travel passes for entering the capital. Also, have people thoroughly investigate every corner of the city. If there are any suspicious individuals, keep an eye on them first."

"Understood," Lin Sheng acknowledged. The Jianghu had always kept its distance from the capital; if a large number of martial artists were truly entering the city, it likely meant the mastermind harbored ulterior motives.

"Then... what about the Heiress Consort?" Lin Sheng cast a glance at the person slung over Zhou Xunli's shoulder and asked hesitatingly.

"Heiress Consort!" Green Willow came running over in a flurry, worried out of her mind!

Guard Jiang and several others followed closely behind. Two of them had sustained injuries, clutching their arms and dragging their legs.

"She's fine," Zhou Xunli replied. He glanced around; the tables and chairs in the Mingxuan Study had been thoroughly smashed, leaving the place in shambles.

"Are you returning to the Marquis of Cheng'en's Mansion?" Zhou Xunli turned his head and asked the figure on his shoulder.

Being carried about in such a manner, even if Xie Shu was not fully conscious, she was jolted awake by the bumping.

Having just overheard the conversation between Zhou Xunli and Lin Sheng, it was clear that Ning Rongsheng's target was not solely her. Perhaps he had merely used her as an excuse to cover up other matters.

Jianghu martial artists?

If her second older brother returned, he might be able to uncover some clues.

"We're not going back," Xie Shu said, shaking her head with effort. She had to rid herself of the poison in her system before she could ever return.

Zhou Xunli maintained a expressionless face and pressed further, "Where to?"

"To Zhilan Courtyard," Xie Shu replied.

Along the way.

Lying inside the carriage, Xie Shu drank cup after cup of cold tea.

Upon learning that Xie Shu had been drugged, Green Willow was so enraged she cursed bitterly, "I'll make sure he ends up without any descendants!"

The cold tea entering her stomach did manage to lower her internal temperature quite a bit.

Vaguely, Xie Shu recalled that sleeve arrow—it surely hadn't missed its mark.

Yet, what caused Xie Shu even greater embarrassment at this moment was the memory of her conversation with Zhou Xunli, which kept popping into her mind...

Could she... could she have lost her mind?

To think she had spoken such reckless words.

Truly, lust and desire becloud the mind!

What if Zhou Xunli mistook her for some shameless harlot? She had been drugged! Drugged, for goodness' sake!

"Heiress Consort, why are you spacing out?" Green Willow waved her hand in front of Xie Shu's face.

"Ah... nothing," Xie Shu forced a weak smile, saying nothing more.

She only prayed to return to Zhilan Courtyard as soon as possible.

"We've arrived."

Outside the carriage, Zhou Xunli tightened the reins and gave a warning call.

Because some of them were injured, Xie Shu had Uncle Li send them to the Zhenyuan General's Mansion for medical treatment. The estate housed a former military physician whose specialty was treating sword and knife wounds.

Lin Sheng, meanwhile, had long since escorted the captured culprits back to the Capital Magistrate's Office.

Fearing that Xie Shu might encounter further danger, Zhou Xunli personally escorted her to Zhilan Courtyard.

Stepping down from the carriage, Xie Shu did not even dare to raise her head; the shame was simply too overwhelming.

"Thank you, Lord Zhou," Xie Shu expressed her gratitude and, leaning on Green Willow's arm, scurried through the courtyard gates as if fleeing for her life.

Left standing outside the door, Zhou Xunli watched the woman's panicked retreating figure and found it somewhat amusing: a moment ago she had acted like a vixen, yet now she behaved like a frightened mouse.

Inside Zhilan Courtyard, Lianyu was the first to rush forward.

"Mistress, have you been poisoned?" Lianyu had spent a long time being trained in Yuechun Pavilion, so she naturally recognized Xie Shu's abnormal state at a glance.

Green Willow nodded. "Yes. Do you have a remedy?"

With a poison this potent, even summoning a physician might not yield an instant cure.

Yet with these relentless waves of scorching heat crashing over her, she feared her young mistress wouldn't be able to bear it much longer!

"The toxicity looks severe; ordinary methods probably won't work. We must draw cold water and have her soak her entire body in it. Once she makes it through the night, she will recover." Lianyu instructed the servants in the courtyard to quickly fetch cold water, adding a caution, "Don't make it too icy, though. Boil some hot water to keep on standby as well."

"What if she catches a chill? What then?" Hearing this, Green Willow felt the method was far too harsh on the body. "Shouldn't we summon a doctor to take a look?"

"If a doctor had a cure, Lord Zhou wouldn't have asked where we were going earlier," Xie Shu waved a hand dismissively. A poison of such intensity was far too violent; even taking medicine, as Zhou Xunli had noted, would only buy a temporary reprieve. Ultimately, she would have to grit her teeth and endure it herself.

"Baizhi, go prepare the water," Xie Shu ordered. When she had embraced Zhou Xunli earlier, the physical contact with his cool body temperature had provided some relief, easing her condition significantly.

Presumably, the method Lianyu suggested should be effective.

"Understood, I'll go right away," Baizhi replied.

Green Willow first supported Xie Shu into the bedroom to lie down. "Heiress Consort, please endure a little longer."

However, once those barrels of cold water were brought in, Xie Shu found that while her skin felt freezing cold to the bone, the inner heat stubbornly refused to fade. She couldn't help but reach out to touch her own burning, tender flesh.

Swallowing hard, Xie Shu felt her throat parched with thirst. Yet her mind persistently conjured up that tall, straight figure—especially his solid waist, which she had held so tightly in her embrace, mingling endlessly with the phantom scent of osmanthus flowers.

She was not entirely naive about the ways of the world and naturally knew how a woman might relieve her amorous urges. Unable to withstand the surging desires in her heart any longer, Xie Shu commanded, "Green Willow, go outside. You don't need to stand guard."

"But—" Green Willow began to protest.

She was abruptly cut off by Xie Shu, who repeated sternly, "Out."

"Yes."

Everyone was chased away, leaving Xie Shu entirely alone in the room.

Yet, just as Xie Shu drifted into a daze, a figure suddenly appeared beyond the folding screen.