Chapter 58 He Doesn’t Trust Him

Chapter 58: He Doesn't Trust Him

The cold sensation traveled along the maid's proud curves, tracing their outline.

A chill shot from her soles to her entire body, fear making her tremble violently, yet her feet felt nailed to the ground, unable to move an inch.

"Just because you have this? Will Brother Crown Prince like this? But I don't have it! No! Brother Crown Prince must not like it! How annoying! I'll just cut it off! Without it, you won't want to compete with me for Brother Crown Prince, right?"

"Oh, right, because of you, my Brother Crown Prince's eyes have been sullied. Although I cleaned them for him bit by bit, thinking about it still makes me very unhappy. So I'll poke out your eyes to calm myself down. That's not too much, is it?"

"You're not speaking, so you agree."

The maid wanted to shake her head, wanted to run, but her entire body felt frozen stiff by fear, powerless and rigid, unable even to manage the motion of shaking her head.

Luo Yunchen picked up a wooden stick, whittled it a few times with his dagger, and the tip became a sharp spike, hard and cold.

He tossed the stick casually to the ground, and it stuck upright, point facing up.

The maid felt as if something had tapped her knee, her legs giving way as she stumbled forward.

Watching helplessly as the sharp point drew closer and closer to her vision...

The maid covered her eyes, the pain making her want to scream, but she could only open her mouth wide without making a sound.

Yet the pain also snapped her out of her terror. She knew she couldn't stay here; she had to escape, had to run...

Groping, stumbling, rolling and crawling, the maid got to her feet and dashed forward desperately.

Luo Yunchen followed unhurriedly behind her: "Don't go looking for Brother Crown Prince, you hear? If Brother Crown Prince finds out and gets angry, he'll ignore me and leave me. I know I can't keep him tied to me yet, so I have to be careful. I'll stick to him even more, make sure he puts all his focus on me!"

One by one, more sharpened sticks were thrust into the ground. Wherever the maid went, her legs would weaken uncontrollably, and she would fall straight onto the spikes.

Until the maid could run no more.

Luo Yunchen didn't bother to check on her. He returned to the Eastern Palace.

After undressing and taking a quick bath, he climbed into bed.

He grabbed Su Zheng and hugged him, a happy, contented smile on his lips as he fell into a deep sleep.

The next afternoon, Su Zheng went to see Emperor Yuanjing. When he came out, he was holding the imperial decree granting him full authority over the Southern City's affairs.

On his way back to the Eastern Palace, Su Zheng overheard some palace servants gossiping.

"I heard her chest was stabbed through!"

"That's right, both eyes were poked out too!"

"She died horribly!"

"Didn't you know? They say a ghost came out of the Cold Palace, killing people silently!"

"Really? Are there really ghosts?"

"Well, think about it—she died so horribly, and yet no one heard a single sound!"

Su Zheng had a feeling this had something to do with Luo Yunchen.

He asked the system: [System, what's this about?]

"One moment, host. Let me look into it."

"Host, it's about the maid who tried to crawl into your bed yesterday. She was found dead in the Cold Palace this morning. It's quite gruesome—she seemed to have been fleeing in panic, colliding with sharp wooden stakes, stabbing holes all over her body, wearing her down little by little."

Su Zheng: [And the male lead? Is he involved?]

"Yes. The male lead poisoned her to make her mute. Then, as she fled in terror, he made her stumble and fall onto the sharp stakes each time, slowly draining the life out of her."

Su Zheng: [...]

"Host, there's a word for this: possessive. The male lead's possessiveness towards you is very strong."

Su Zheng fell silent.

Luo Yunchen acted decisively and ruthlessly, with cold and ruthless methods. He never hesitated to go to extremes for the sake of maximum gain.

But he was also extremely rational and far-sighted.

He never did anything unnecessary in official business, let alone kill just for the sake of killing.

Yet when it came to anything involving Su Zheng, he would go mad and become completely unreasonable.

Su Zheng said nothing more and returned to the Eastern Palace.

When he first saw the gates of the Eastern Palace, he noticed a tall, slender figure standing silently in front of them, motionless, like a statue of a woman waiting for her husband.

Su Zheng approached and saw Luo Yunchen's radiant smile: "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you, A Zheng!"

Su Zheng entered the Eastern Palace, Luo Yunchen right on his heels. As he walked, Su Zheng asked, "Why not wait inside? Trying to get some air?"

"No. I was afraid that if you went out, you might not want to come back. By waiting here, I can see you sooner."

Su Zheng paused momentarily in his stride but quickly resumed his normal pace. He said calmly, "So now that you've seen me, are you satisfied?"

"I'm happy!" Luo Yunchen stepped forward, took Su Zheng's hand, and interlaced their fingers one by one, and led him into the hall.

Su Zheng was half a step behind. The young man in front turned his head to look back at him as they walked.

The young man's eyes and brows curved in a smile, a smile blooming on his delicate face, innocent and harmless-looking. He really did seem overjoyed.

Su Zheng knew the little wolf was genuinely happy inside.

But the little wolf really didn't trust him, and that was also true.

Some things, even if he said them, Luo Yunchen wouldn't just ignore them; they might even backfire.

The little wolf was far too sensitive for that.

Those promises he'd made—that he wouldn't leave him—

He had never really taken them to heart anyway.

Yet somehow, the little wolf seemed to see right through him.

He liked hearing it, was willing to hear it, but he would never truly trust him.

Su Zheng thought that, given the chance, the Little Wolf would definitely want to tie a rope around his waist, with the other end held tight in his hand!

The two went to the study, and Su Zheng showed Luo Yunchen the imperial edict: "Father has put me in full charge of this matter.

Tomorrow, Father will have the officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue go to the South City after court to take my orders."

Luo Yunchen gave it a casual glance, then tossed it onto the desk beside him.

He drew closer to Su Zheng, pulling him into his arms, and his restless hands pulled apart Su Zheng's collar, slipping inside.

His thin lips brushed against Su Zheng's chin, lightly touching, then sliding downward.

The scorching breath burned a trail all the way to Su Zheng's neck, shoulders, and collarbone.

Despite speaking seriously about official matters, his voice was husky and low, making Su Zheng shiver: "Alright. Tomorrow I’ll recommend some reliable people to A Zheng, all from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue—capable, pragmatic, and with low official rank. They’re loyal ministers. You can assign tasks to them without worry."

Su Zheng's breathing grew uneven. He took a deep breath and tried to push Luo Yunchen away, but, of course, couldn't budge him: "If you're going to talk business, then talk properly!"

Luo Yunchen left a warm, damp spot on Su Zheng's neck, his tone turning plaintive: "Didn't A Zheng and I agree? That you'd cherish me more and not push me away? So why are you pushing me away now?"

Su Zheng sighed inwardly, letting his hands fall to his sides, his voice flat and emotionless: "If you want to do it, then do it."

Luo Yunchen smiled like a mischievous little child: "Is A Zheng thinking about it? How adorable!"

Su Zheng had nothing to say.