Shi Baoning’s face stiffened and she stuttered, “No…way?”
At last, she said in an uncertain tone.
Shi Qingxue looked at Shi Baoning and didn’t waste energy to explain. She gave Shi Baoning room to figure it out herself.
Shi Baoning still looked doubtful and then turned to Shi Junhe. She wanted to ask more seemingly, but his weary face made her unable to speak a word.
When the atmosphere in the main hall became tense again, Zheng Liangcai rushed in excitedly and reported to Shi Junhe, “Lord Shi, I have found the murderer.”
His words aroused an uproar.
Shi Junhe sprang from the chair and asked in a hurry, “Who is the murderer? How did you find it?”
“Lord Shi, you are wise. I listened to you and questioned all the servants respectively who served the second master. Then I found that his personal manservant Shi Wang was suspicious. So I instantly told my subordinates to capture him and interrogate him carefully.
“Guess what? Shi Wang refused to admit it in the beginning. After the runners found the remaining poison and a handkerchief stained with the second master’s blood in his room, he couldn’t justify himself with excuses, so he finally admitted that he had poisoned the second master to death,” Zheng Liangcai said logically with confidence.
Although before he came, he had reminded himself to look sad, when he reported, he could hardly conceal the complacency in his tone.
He solved the case.
Shi Junhe noticed that and felt unhappy, yet he didn’t speak it out. He just stared at Zheng Liangcai and asked, “Where is Shi Wang now? What else did he say?”
Zheng Liangcai knew that Shi Junhe wanted to personally interrogate Shi Wang, so he hurriedly led the duke to the backyard, although it was against the rules. He continued to tell Shi Junhe what he knew so far.
“Shi Wang is stubborn. Although he has admitted that he killed the second master, he refused to say anything else. But don’t worry, Lord Shi. My subordinates are excellent in interrogating. As long as we give them more time, they will make him tell everything clearly…”
They rushed to the backyard. On the way, Shi Jie who was waiting at the gate ran in hastily and reported to Shi Junhe, “My Lord, a servant from our mansion came to tell us that there was a theft case in the mansion.”
“What?”
Before this case was closed, there was another case.
Shi Junhe hadn’t recovered from the sad news that Shi Junfeng had been murdered, and he heard such annoying news, so his face darkened.
He asked in a deep voice, “What is missing?”
“Nothing in the East House is missing, but…” Shi Jie turned his head and glanced at Shi Qingxue cautiously.
He explained hesitantly, “Lady Qingxue’s maid Xia Mang sent somebody to tell me that somebody sneaked into the Luotong Boudoir when there was nobody in Lady Qingxue’s bedroom. Although the thief did everything carefully, when Xia Mang entered to clean up the room, she found clues.
“You are not at home, so she doesn’t dare to move your belonging without authorization, My Lady.”
Shi Qingxue frowned and didn’t say anything.
Shi Jie turned to Shi Junhe and begged in a low voice again, “Although we are not sure what is missing, I am afraid that you need to go back home.”
Shi Junhe wanted to personally supervise the people from the Capital Bureau interrogating Shi Wang, yet he knew well about his manservant. Unless he was forced to, Shi Jie wouldn’t ask him to return home at this hour.
In another word, Shi Junhe must go back home at the moment.
When Shi Junhe looked hesitant, Zheng Liangcai expressed sensibly at once, “Lord Shi, if you have something important, you can go to deal with it first. Rest assured after you leave this case to me.
“I will surely find the truth and fight the case out.”
Zheng Liangcai said that, while Shi Junhe was more worried.
However, it was not the time to bother about this. He pondered for a moment and then encouraged Zheng Liangcai. Later, he said something to Shi Baojing and then led his family to return home in haste.
Shi Qingxue stood behind the crowd and still looked at the backyard, as if lost in thought.
“What’s wrong?” Mo Junyang was the first one who found her unusual expression. He stood next to her, asking in a soft voice.
Shi Qingxue still frowned and looked at the backyard for a while. Then she whispered, “I don’t know. I just think that it is too coincidental as these two things happened. Is it…”
Before she finished her words, she held back.
Her guess was too random.
There were many coincidences in the world. A murder case and a theft case would be found at the same time by chance repeatedly.
If she forcefully related them, it would be absurd.
Shi Qingxue knew this point, so she didn’t have the courage to continue. She was afraid that Mo Junyang would laugh at her as she made blind and disorderly conjectures.
However, Mo Junyang doubted the coincidence more than she did. After hearing that, he didn’t laugh but asked with a frown, “Do you know what the thief wanted to steal after sneaking into the Luotong Boudoir?”
Shi Qingxue smiled bitterly. “How can I guess? I am a girl and the valuable things are just jewels, antiques, scripts and paintings. What else can I have?”
If the thief coveted these treasures, he would gain more once he went to the master’s room.
After all, no matter how favored Shi Qingxue was and how many collections she had, could she have more than Duke Shi?
Unless the thief didn’t want money…
Shi Qingxue met Mo Junyang’s eyes and they said in unison, “The token granted by Emperor.”
Yes. If there was a reason that the thief had to go to the Luotong Boudoir, it was only the token granted by Emperor which could prevent people in Duke Shi’s mansion from being sentenced to death.
“In this case, it’s not difficult to guess who the thief is,” Shi Qingxue pursed her lips and stated impassively.
Even though she had deduced the truth, she didn’t feel happy.
Mo Junyang pinched the back of her hand gently and comforted her. “Anyway, let’s go back to the Luotong Boudoir first and have a look.”
Shi Qingxue nodded. Her beautiful face was solemn, and her furrowed arch eyebrows were almost close.
Seeing that, Mo Junyang just wanted to reach out his hand to relax the furrowed brows on her forehead and then hold her in his arms, telling her not to worry. Even if the token granted by Emperor was missing, it was no big deal and he wouldn’t let Qingxue protect her life with that stuff.
He also wanted to say that even if the token granted by Emperor was stolen, it didn’t matter. As long as Qingxue wanted it, he could get it back.
In a short while, Mo Junyang figured out hundreds of ways to make Shi Qingxue happy.
However, he didn’t say anything.
It was because when they were alone after they returned to the enclosed carriage, Shi Qingxue didn’t conceal her weariness and annoyance but buried her head in Mo Junyang’s arms.
She embraced his waist and pushed herself in, seeking comfort in silence.
Mo Junyang was speechless.
He enjoyed their closeness and even hoped that Shi Qingxue could be like this for longer.
She was tired, fragile, sad…but needed him most.
Mo Junyang loved Shi Qingxue who “sought help” from him.
Only this thought could satisfy him.
He was satisfied physically and mentally.
Nevertheless, after he was satisfied, he had more desires, so he couldn’t help but reach out his hand and hug her more tightly.
He hugged her more tightly and they were closer.
“You…almost gore me.” Shi Qingxue’s low and muffled voice came from Mo Junyang’s arms.
In the beginning, Mo Junyang was stunned.
He loosened his hand, and Shi Qingxue hurriedly freed herself from his arms.
The blush on her charming face spread to her ears and went down her cheeks. Then her fair-skinned and slender neck and even the part in her collar were red.
Mo Junyang’s throat bobbed automatically, and he gazed at Qingxue’s partly visible ruddy skin in her collar.
“Mo Junyang!” Shi Qingxue shouted peevishly, yet her voice was sweet. She didn’t look angry but seemed to play the woman.
Mo Junyang just felt that a flame rushing up to his brain from his lower belly almost burnt all his reason.
Fortunately, Mo Junyang was always cautious in front of Shi Qingxue. Even if he lost his reason, he could restrain himself hard.
However, his voice was hoarse. “What’s wrong?”
In fact, even he didn’t know what he was talking about.
Shi Qingxue goggled, unable either to laugh or to cry. “He has an erection suddenly and even…has the face to ask me what is wrong?”
“…You are shameless!” Qingxue cursed angrily in a low voice.
“Hmm?” Mo Junyang looked innocent and it seemed that he had no idea why he was “cursed” all of a sudden.
Shi Qingxue was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh, and she murmured, “You should look into a mirror.”
Mo Junyang looked at her, like a bloodthirsty wolf staring at its prey, about to rush to her and swallow her after cutting her bones. Perhaps it was not proper. Only the prey was Shi Qingxue, and the wolf was Mo Junyang.
So Mo Junyang restrained himself and remained unmoved, while Shi Qingxue didn’t get mad.
She wasn’t mad and her annoyance seemed to disappear in a flash after Mo Junyang “caused trouble”.
In fact, it was not worthy of special attention.
Shi Qingxue was in a better mood and then looked at Mo Junyang. She wasn’t upset anymore and even…
She blinked wittily and raised her hand to cover Mo Junyang’s eyes.
“Qingxue?” the man called doubtfully in a gentle voice.
“Shh!”
Shi Qingxue blew softly in Junyang’s ear and the man’s shoulders trembled slightly. If she didn’t gaze at him, she couldn’t find it.
However, Qingxue saw that and couldn’t help but show her canine teeth, smiling brightly.
“Be good.” Shi Qingxue wanted to have fun and then quickly said something in his ear.
She said that, as if coaxing a child.
Mo Junyang executed orders and proclaimed prohibitions. He straightened his back and sat in the carriage. Then he swallowed subconsciously.
When he wanted to tell Qingxue not to mess around, as his self-restraint was limited, he felt that his Adam’s apple was warm and wet.
Mo Junyang seemed to be cursed and fixed, and he didn’t move a bit.
All his senses focused on his Adam’s apple and he felt that the warm and wet breath stopped on it for a moment and then moved downward. A pair of slender and soft hands clung to his thigh and moved in slowly…
“Junyang, I have grown up.”
In Mo Junyang’s brain, it seemed that fireworks exploded at the same time and it was dazzling, making his brain blank.
When he came back to earth, he was like a wolf and pounced on its only prey to possess himself of her.