The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

She was genuinely just curious, watching the beautiful women sing and dance, listening to their sweet stories, finding it novel and interesting, without a trace of intimacy.

Qinglan and Qingdai were initially nervous, but gradually relaxed and stood behind her, secretly observing this legendary haven of gentle comfort.

In the midst of the lively atmosphere, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open rather shakily.

A woman in a light green dress stumbled in and nearly tripped.

She seemed to be suppressing her discomfort; her face was pale, her forehead was covered in fine sweat, and her breathing was slightly rapid.

After the singing and dancing in the room subsided, everyone turned to look at the uninvited guest.

The woman was Zhao Yin. She steadied herself and gave a perfunctory curtsy to the "young master" in the main seat, her voice trembling slightly.

"Wang Mama... asked me to come and serve you. Young master, I'll pour you some wine."

As she spoke, she walked to the table and picked up the wine pot.

Her fingers trembled slightly, a stark contrast to the relaxed and alluring women in the room.

Zhao Yingang staggered and crouched down beside Shen Tinghe, gripping the wine pot. Qingdai's short sword was already drawn, its cold light flashing as it was pressed against her neck.

"Who are you?" Qingdai asked in a low, cold voice.

The women attending to them cried out in fright and hurriedly huddled together in a corner on the other side.

Shen Tinghe's gaze swept over Zhao Yin.

As soon as the woman squatted down in front of the table, she caught a whiff of rust mixed with the scent of cosmetics.

Shen Tinghe's expression remained unchanged. She even raised her hand, calmly picked up the wine glass in front of her, took a sip, and gently reassured the women, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."

Zhao Yin was at her last gasp. She looked up, revealing a face as pale as paper, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and her lips turned bluish-gray from blood loss.

She grabbed Shen Tinghe's clothes, her voice barely a whisper: "Save me...please..."

At that moment, a series of harsh shouts and hurried footsteps came from downstairs, growing louder and more chaotic as they approached.

Qingdai swiftly moved to the door and peeked out through a crack.

"Young master, it's the governor's office; they're searching room by room."

The governor's mansion? Li Qu's men.

Shen Tinghe's mind raced.

Xie Yanzhao never avoided her when discussing matters, and she heard most of what he said.

She had long heard of the reputation of that governor, Li Qu, and knew he was not a good person.

She looked down at her side and saw that Zhao Yin had collapsed and fainted completely.

Shen Tinghe decisively took out a small brown pill from the brocade sachet hanging from her waist, pried open Zhao Yin's lips, and pressed the pill under her tongue.

This medicine can temporarily keep her alive a little bit of her energy.

"Qingdai".

"Yes." Qingdai immediately understood.

She lifted the unconscious Zhao Yin, and with a light step, she nimbly leaped onto the roof beam, using the interplay of shadows and the building's structure to perfectly conceal their presence.

Shen Tinghe straightened her sleeves, turned to the group of panicked girls, and even curved her lips into a faint, reassuring smile. Her voice also returned to its usual soothing tone.

"Ladies, please continue with the music and drinking games we just played. I apologize for the earlier interruption, but tonight my reward will be doubled, and those who perform well will receive an additional bonus."

The promise of money slightly dispelled the fear, and the music and soft words soon resumed. Although there was a slight stiffness, the atmosphere remained the same.

"Bang!"

When the soldiers of the governor's mansion kicked open the door without any hesitation, this was exactly what they saw.

A handsome young man reclines on a soft couch, with beauties pouring wine on either side of him and a singing girl softly chanting in front of him. The room is filled with warm fragrance, a scene of vibrant life.

Shen Tinghe slammed his wine glass down on the table at the opportune moment, frowning and angrily shouting, "How dare you! Who are you people, daring to disturb my refined pleasure?"

The leader's eyes swept across the room like a hawk's, and he said in a gruff voice, "The prefectural government is arresting important criminals; we are ordered to search!"

With a wave of his hand, his men scattered like wolves and tigers, rummaging through screens, inspecting chests and cabinets, and even lifting the tablecloths that hung to the ground.

Shen Tinghe's face was filled with displeasure as she coldly observed the scene, her fingertips subtly curling up inside her sleeve.

Soon, the soldier reported back: "No."

The leader glanced at Shen Tinghe suspiciously again, but seeing her extraordinary demeanor, unlike that of an ordinary pleasure-seeker, he ultimately didn't want to cause any more trouble and waved his hand to order, "Let's go, next room!"

The footsteps faded into the distance.

After waiting a moment longer to make sure everyone had left the floor, Qingdai silently landed with Zhaoyin in her arms.

Shen Tinghe quickly stepped forward, placed two fingers on Zhao Yin's wrist pulse, and frowned slightly.

Excessive blood loss caused a floating, slippery, and disordered pulse, with a hint of stagnation.

Sure enough, they were poisoned.

Even in her coma, Zhao Yin remained restless, her lips moving as she murmured intermittently, "The ledger... the evidence... keep it..."

Ledger? Shen Tinghe's eyes suddenly sharpened, and she made up her mind.

She immediately ordered, "Qinglan, go through the back window, avoid being seen, and carefully move her to our carriage. Qingdai, clean up any traces here."

She then looked at the group of women who were watching her anxiously.

Qingdai understood, took out her money pouch, placed a considerable amount of silver on the table, and said calmly, "I would appreciate it if you could stay here for another half an hour. During this time, please pretend you didn't hear anything. This is my reward."

The women looked at the silver and nodded in agreement.

Without further ado, Qinglan slung Zhaoyin over her back, nimbly vaulted out of the back window, and disappeared into the night.

The horse-drawn carriage rumbled along the street.

Inside the carriage, Shen Tinghe took out the silver needle kit that had been prepared by someone, and focused on applying acupuncture to Zhao Yin, temporarily sealing several major acupoints to slow down the loss of qi and blood and the spread of toxins.

Upon returning to the mansion, someone carried the unconscious Zhao Yin into a side room, where the mansion's physician immediately took over to treat him.

Under the brightly lit corridor, Shen Tinghe washed her hands with a basin of water brought by a maid, and the clear water surface instantly rippled with a pale red.

The hem and cuffs of her pale white dress were stained with mottled blood, which was quite shocking at first glance.

"Yuan Yuan!"

Xie Yanzhao arrived in a hurry, followed by Shen Chengbo, who had also rushed over upon hearing the news.

They had just finished their meeting in the study when they heard a servant urgently report that the lady had brought a seriously injured person back to the mansion, so they rushed over immediately.

Xie Yanzhao immediately noticed the water stains on Shen Tinghe's hands that hadn't been completely wiped clean, as well as the glaring bloodstains on her dress.

His pupils contracted slightly, and he strode up to her, grabbing her wrist: "What happened? Are you hurt? This blood..."

Shen Chengbo also looked worried as he gazed at his sister.

Shen Tinghe gently shook her head and squeezed Xie Yanzhao's slightly cool fingers in a comforting gesture.

"I'm fine. This blood belongs to someone else. We may have accidentally saved a key person."

Xie Yanzhao didn't care about any key figures; all he cared about was whether the person in front of him was safe and well.

He grabbed Shen Tinghe's wrist and, without a word, dragged her towards the bedroom, coldly tossing a command to Shen Chengbai: "You stay here and keep watch."

Shen Chengbo bowed and replied, "Yes."

He watched his sister being led away, and wanted to follow her to inquire about her well-being, but in the end he could only sigh inwardly.

As a subject, he endured.