Chapter 161: Traitor (II)
Translator: Storm in a Teacup
However, Long trusted both of them.
In that novel, Zhou Qing didn’t betray Long even if he would be killed by Shi.
Liu Xiangyang was also a loyal man, who died in front of his original master.
So, these two people were trustworthy.
However, the world here was no longer the world in the novel… Some people had changed, which was obvious.
For instance, instead of killing him to become emperor, Shi fell in love with him and they had become a sweet couple.
So, if Zhou Qing or Liu Xiangyang… betrayed the emperor, it was also normal, wasn’t it?
Although Long thought so, he still felt very uncomfortable.
Long thought that Shi went there alone because Shi knew Long really trusted those two men… Shi didn’t want Long to face it in person.
Or Shi didn’t want Long to feel disappointed.
With a wry smile, Long slowly put down the tea cup and looked out of the door in a trance…
After dinner, Long and Shi took a walk in the courtyard as usual.
Shi noticed that Long was a little absent-minded. He knew why, but… some things had to be done, because some people must pay for what they did before!
So, Shi said, “Tonight… you go to bed early.”
Hearing the words, Long immediately understood what Shi was going to do.
But in the end, Long said nothing.
At night, Long went to lie on the bed alone. Staring at the ceiling, Long couldn’t sleep.
At the same time, somewhere in the imperial palace…
A man in dark blue was looking for something. He wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t make the place in a mess. It could be seen that he had made preparations.
Just then, a cold voice was heard.
“Zhou Qing, what are you looking for?”
That man in dark blue suddenly froze. Then, he looked at the door unbelievably…
“Your… Your Grace.” Zhou’s voice trembled.
Shi said calmly, “Zhou Qing, His Majesty treats you well and he always trusts you. I didn’t expect that you’d betray him.”
Zhou shuddered and tried to defend himself. “Your Grace, you misunderstand me. I’m just…”
“I misunderstand you?” Shi sneered. “Oh really? You are here to steal the imperial seal, aren’t you?”
Zhou became stiff and his eyes widened. He realized that he was trapped.
Shi smiled. “You plan to steal the real seal and then put a fake one here. Plus some rumors, His Majesty might be overthrown. Most importantly, your cooperation with the blood-sucking demon may cause total chaos in the whole imperial city. Zhou Qing, this is really a good plan. What’s more, if His Majesty is assassinated, you can write the imperial edicts on your own. With the seal, a lot of things will be achieved. Am I right?”
“I… I don’t know that blood-sucking demon…” Zhou’s voice trembled more. He was so nervous that he could hardly keep his feet.
Shi looked at him indifferently. Although it was dark in the imperial study, they could see each other clearly.
Shi could even see the cold sweat on Zhou’s face.
“Zhou Qing, do you think it’s still useful to say anything now? You can only blame yourself. How dare you play tricks on the prince for the second time? What a pity! Your plan was good, but something might change. Madam Hu and the wet nurse have been together all the time and they also took the prince out to play in the yard. The time when the prince slept has also changed today. You didn’t expect this, right?”
Zhou was so nervous that his teeth chattered.
Once Shi snapped his finger, Shadow Guardians appeared and lit the candles in the imperial study.
Facing the sudden light, Zhou paled.
“Take him away for interrogation.” After saying that, Shi turned around and left…
Zhou immediately fell to the ground…
Shi turned his head and looked at Zhou before he left.
Zhou was quite audacious to do that, but he looked like a coward after being exposed…
While Shi was thinking about that, Zhou suddenly burst out with a scream on the ground.
Shi and the Shadow Guardians were stunned. Then, they saw Zhou began to roll on the ground with the head in his hands. After less than two laps, his whole body convulsed. Then, he became stiff…
He also stopped breathing.
Shi ran over in surprise. “Send for Doctor Liu.”
Shi stood by the dead body, but he didn’t touch it.
It wasn’t long before Doctor Liu came with the Shadow Guardians.
“He fell into the trap before I use the medicine you gave me. Why did this happen?”
Looking at Zhou’s body, the doctor squatted down and checked carefully.
After a while, the doctor said, “I don’t see any problem on the surface. I have to take the body back.”
Shi nodded. “Tell me the result as soon as possible.”
The doctor nodded. “Okay.”
The Shadow Guardians sent the body to the doctor’s place.
Shi returned to Qiankun Palace. Instead of going to the bedroom, he went to the bathroom.
Shi washed every part of his body that might be exposed to that dead man. He also washed hair and dried it with his internal strength. Then, Shi went to the bedroom…
When Shi got there, Long hadn’t slept.
Shi paused, but he also guessed that.
Seeing that Shi came back, Long sat up from the bed. “You’re back?”
Shi nodded lightly. “Yes…”
Long patted the space beside him, asking Shi to come quickly.
Shi went to bed obediently.
Long put his arms around Shi’s waist. Then, he buried his head in Shi’s neck and took a deep breath.
“You’ve washed your body?”
“Yes,” Shi answered softly.
Long laughed. “You’re afraid I’d smell blood?”
Those words stunned Shi. Later, he nodded. “Well… Zhou Qing is dead.”
Long was a little surprised. After a while, he said, “How did he die? What did he say?”
“After he was exposed, he looked miserable and suddenly began to roll on the ground… I suspect that he was controlled by others.”
“Controlled…” Long became silent.
“There’s no other possibility.” Shi stared at Long.
Long kept silent for a long time before he said, “Where is his body now?”
Shi said, “At Doctor Liu’s place. I asked for something from Doctor Liu to deal with Zhou Qing. Unexpectedly, he was trapped and died before I use that thing.”
Long smiled bitterly. “Really?”
Shi touched Long’s cheeks. “Are you sad?”
Long didn’t expect Shi would ask this question. He slowly shook his head. “No, I’m not sad… I’m just… a little uncomfortable.”
“You treated him well. It’s normal for you to feel sad. Besides, he’s served you for many years.”
“Yes… he’s served me for many years.” Long smiled and waved his hand. “Well, forget about it. It’s too late. Let’s sleep.”
“Okay…” Shi nodded.
Long and Shi blew out the candles and closed their eyes.
After a while, Shi felt that Long’s arm was around his waist again, so he got closer to Long.
“Qingzhou, I don’t care about other people. As long as my lover won’t betray me, I will have no regrets in this life,” Long said.
Hearing this, Shi wrapped his arms around Long. “I know.”
Long smiled and kissed Shi’s eyes. “Let’s sleep.”