Fairy, please don't do this!

Gu Jinzhao could no longer restrain himself and embraced Aunt Ruo again, continuing the unfinished exorcism...

……

When the candle burned down to its last inch and wisps of smoke rose, it was already dawn.

The morning light shone through the window lattice, illuminating the room, where men's and women's clothing was piled up haphazardly on the floor.

The light blue cheongsam lay beneath the sandalwood table, its hem disheveled and spread out like withered flower petals.

"Where...am I?"

Jing Shu slowly opened her beautiful eyes, murmuring as if in a dream.

"In Sister Jing's room."

A slightly tired voice came from behind.

Jing Shu then realized that she was lying face down on Gu Jinzhao, while he was lying on his back on the sandalwood table.

His face was extremely pale, clearly indicating that he had exhausted himself.

"How did I faint?"

"How is the demonic poison...?"

As if she had thought of something, Jing Shu's expression changed slightly.

Gu Jinzhao held that soft, delicate body in his arms and let out a long breath: "The seed of demonic poison has been sealed."

"It's been sealed off?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Shu looked on in astonishment: "Didn't I faint? How did Xiao Chao manage that?"

Gu Jinzhao explained softly, "Sister Jing did not faint. She was just in a state of confusion and infatuation. In addition, the poison from the demonic seed caused her to lose her senses."

Naturally, Jing Shu couldn't be told about Aunt Ruo's matter, so she could only make up an excuse.

As for last night, it was Aunt Ruo who controlled Jing Shu's body, and only after their third intimate encounter did she suppress the seed of demonic poison.

During the process, Gu Jinzhao gradually became exhausted from constantly consuming spiritual energy to activate the True Yang Sword Technique and control the True Yang Fire, so he let Aunt Ruo do it herself.

Therefore, when Jing Shu woke up, she found herself lying on top of him.

Jing Shu thought for a moment, and some vague memories did indeed surface in her mind. She only remembered that Gu Jinzhao seemed to have carried her back to the bathtub for a couple's medicinal bath, and carried out the third round of purification.

"I see."

"I thought it was Xiao Chao while I was unconscious..."

At this point, her cheeks flushed, and she immediately stopped talking.

Because this statement seems to imply that Gu Jinzhao took advantage of the situation, something just doesn't seem right.

It takes two to tango.

"I alone cannot suppress the seed of demonic poison."

Gu Jinzhao shook his head.

He knew that Jing Shu must have the events of last night in her mind. Although her memory was vague, she felt as if she were there.

This is the mystery of the cause-and-effect grafting method.

The person who was grafted may remember what happened, but will feel a dreamlike confusion.

Seeing his pale face, Jing Shu felt a pang of heartache: "Xiao Chao, are you alright?"

Gu Jinzhao smiled and explained, "It's nothing. I was just infected by demonic poison during the exorcism, and my whole body is a little numb and I can't move."

"I have already taken the pill. Once my spiritual energy recovers, I will expel it from my body."

"Then let me help you back to your bed."

Jing Shu slightly straightened her back, about to get up, but her whole body went limp and she sat back down.

Gu Jinzhao's body stiffened slightly, and his breathing, which had just calmed down, became rapid again.

"uh-huh--"

A sweet, soft moan escaped Jing Shu's lips, her delicate body trembling slightly.

Looking down, she instantly blushed and said, "I didn't mean to."

"It's alright, Sister Jing, take a break first, and then help me back to my bed later."

Gu Jinzhao shook his head, his gaze involuntarily falling on Jing Shu.

Her delicate and beautiful face still had a blush, and her brows held a faint hint of spring, like a delicate flower that had just been nourished by sweet dew, her beauty beyond compare.

Moving the gaze downwards, two plump mounds resembled round, ripe fruits hanging from branches, seemingly ready to fall.

And on her slender, snow-white neck, delicate collarbone, and slender, fragrant shoulders, there were clear hickeys.

The silk stockings on her jade-like legs were tattered and torn, with several tears from her thighs to her calves, revealing the snow-white skin beneath, exuding a strange allure.

Noticing Gu Jinzhao's gaze, Jing Shu felt a little embarrassed, but she didn't try to hide anything. She simply buried her face in his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"If it weren't for Xiao Chao, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it through last night."

Xuanming Demon Mosquito was once a powerful demon close to the first rank.

Even if its strength is reduced to less than one-tenth, its original demonic poison is something that a third-rank cultivator cannot withstand.

Gu Jinchao smelled the unique fragrance of orchids on Jing Shu's body and said softly, "Sister Jing came to the Western Region to protect me."

"Otherwise, how could he have been poisoned by the demon?"

At this point, he couldn't help but smile: "Speaking of which, this Xuanming Demon Mosquito has become our matchmaker."

"If it weren't for this demonic poison that brought us together, we wouldn't have been able to come together."

"To have a woman like Sister Jing is truly a blessing from my past life."

As he spoke, the numbness in his body subsided considerably, and he embraced that soft, delicate body.

Jing Shu's cheeks flushed slightly, but a faint smile curved her lips: "When did you become so glib?"

A mischievous glint flashed in Gu Jinzhao's eyes: "Probably after I kissed Sister Jing."

Jing Shu raised her hand and gently pinched his waist: "Don't say such dirty things."

Gu Jinzhao grasped that soft, boneless hand and said softly, "Then we'll talk about it next time we exorcise the demon poison."

"Don't say it again next time."

Jing Shu gave him a look that seemed both angry and playful.

Gu Jinzhao blinked: "If we don't tell, how can we ignite the fire of passion in Sister Jing's heart and use it to resist the seed of demonic poison?"

Jing Shu pursed her lips, recalling the passionate scene of last night, and changed the subject with a little embarrassment: "We should not let Her Majesty know about what happened between us for the time being."

Gu Jinzhao asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Jing Shu said with a somber expression, "Your relationship with the Empress has always been ambiguous."

"Now I'm getting involved again..."

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Jinzhao interrupted her: "Don't worry, Your Highness isn't such a petty woman, she won't care about these things."

He didn't actually believe it when he said that.

Among the five female protagonists, Xiao Qingyi is the most petty.

But given her personality, even if she truly had feelings for him, she wouldn't admit it...

Chapter 346, The Empress Dowager's Exclusive Favor (3K)

Three days later, Gu Jinzhao and Jing Shu boarded the magic boat and left Tian Ce Mansion.

The matter in the western border is settled; I must return to the capital to report back.

However, there were many disaster victims here, so Si Ruoyu, the calico cat, and a group of doctors stayed behind to continue working with the government to treat the sick and save lives.

Fazhou returned to Yujing several days later.

As dusk approached, the setting sun bathed the glazed tiles of the palace in a golden-red hue.

The two went straight into the palace.

The Jinglan Hall was brightly lit, and calming ambergris incense burned in the gilded incense burners at the four corners.

Xiao Qingyi, still dressed in a black phoenix robe and wearing a half-lace mask, sat upright on the phoenix throne, her pale golden phoenix eyes sweeping lightly over the two of them: "How was the trip?"

Jing Shu stepped forward, took out a thick scroll of reports from her sleeve, and presented it to her forehead: "Your Majesty, the floods in the western border have been basically quelled."

"The Xuanming demonic mosquito was annihilated in the mountain god temple, and the evil cultivator Blood Lotus Daoist was killed. This is the detailed record of this trip."

Xiao Qingyi took the report and read it carefully.

After a moment, she closed the file and nodded slightly: "Continue."

Jing Shu then took out two more booklets from her sleeve and presented them with both hands: "These two booklets, one is a list of officials from the Western Territory Tian Ce Prefecture and its subordinate counties who neglected their duties during the flood, totaling seventeen people."

"Among them, Zhou Ting, the Assistant Prefect of Tiance Prefecture, Meng Guangcai, the Magistrate of Canglan County, and four others concealed the flood when it first broke out, which caused the people of the three counties to be unable to evacuate in time, resulting in heavy casualties."

"Four others, including the naval commander Han Ye, misappropriated military supplies during the flood control period and embezzled them."

She paused, then continued, "This second volume contains a list of officials who embezzled disaster relief funds, along with detailed accounts."

"A total of twenty-three officials, from the prefectural government to the county government, were involved in the case."

"Among them, Zhao Huan, the transport commissioner of the western border, colluded with local grain merchants to substitute moldy rice for new rice and profited from it, embezzling 220,000 taels of disaster relief funds."

According to his confession, 60% of the silver flowed to the capital, and the specific recipients were Chen Jin, the Director of the Ministry of Revenue, and Zheng Wenzhao, the Academician of the Grand Secretariat.

Upon hearing these two names, Xiao Qingyi narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly.

Chen Jin, the Assistant Director of the Ministry of Revenue, was a protégé of Xu Zhengqing, the Minister of Revenue, who was personally promoted by Emperor Yongxing.

Zheng Wenzhao, a scholar-official in the Grand Secretariat, was one of Emperor Yongxing's most trusted confidants among the civil officials.

Xiao Qingyi asked, "Is the evidence conclusive?"

Jing Shu presented the third booklet: "Zhao Huan has signed and sealed it, and the account details are consistent with his confession."

"There are also corroborating evidence such as grain merchants' account books and testimonies of grain transport workers, all of which are here."

Xiao Qingyi took the booklet and turned the pages one by one.

Her expression remained calm, yet the invisible pressure emanating from her made the air in the hall seem to freeze.

After a long while, she closed the book and looked at Jing Shu: "You go back to the side hall to rest first. I have something to say to Minister Gu alone."

Jing Shu bowed and withdrew from the hall.

The palace doors closed, leaving only the two of them.

Xiao Qingyi's gaze fell on the man in front of her: "I have already read Gu Qing's message."

"I want to know why you suspect that the current troubles in the Western Border were orchestrated by the Prince of Zhenbei through the Blood River Sect?"

Gu Jinchao interjected, "If the Western Territory is invaded by the Demon Court, we can only send troops from the Northern Territory to quell the rebellion."

"In this way, those who quell the rebellion can not only gain great military achievements, but also win the hearts of the people and expand their power."

Before returning, he sent the information about the Blood Lotus Daoist's plan to release the Xuanming Mosquito and the Demon Court back to Yujing via a paper crane.

After all, although he knew the game's plot, he couldn't tell Xiao Qingyi so directly.

The mastermind behind this can only be deduced through the schemes of the Blood Lotus Taoist and the Demon Court.

Xiao Qingyi picked up her teacup and took an elegant sip: "Does Gu Qing mean that the beneficiary is the one who instigated it?"

Gu Jinzhao nodded: "Your Majesty is wise."

Xiao Qingyi asked with great interest, "Then, in Gu Qing's opinion, what should we do now?"

Gu Jinzhao pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Before I left the Western Region, I released the false news that the Xuanming Mosquito Demon had been seriously injured and escaped."

"Then he ordered Marquis Pingxi to continue searching for the Xuanming Mosquito in the western border, creating the illusion that the Xuanhu Army was being tied down."

"If my prediction is correct, the Prince of Zhenbei and the Demon Court will surely think that the western border is vulnerable, and will take action during the Cangmo Hunting Ceremony as originally planned."

At this point, he looked at the Empress Dowager on the phoenix bed: "Now, all we need to do is for Your Majesty to issue a secret decree, ordering Marquis Pingxi to set up a trap, so that we can wipe out the demon court's army in one fell swoop."

"Of course, if my guess is wrong, then it is just a precaution and nothing serious."