The monarch of Changlu was attacked by an assassin outside the palace. Fortunately, he was treated in time and was not seriously injured.

The moon hung high in the sky. Ye Shu walked out of the prison and raised his head to look at the night sky.

He did not have time to change out of the blood-stained fox fur coat he was wearing. It looked like winter plum blossoms were embedded in the snow, and it was a ghastly sight.

Ye Shu took a deep breath to calm the waves of nausea in his stomach.

Today, he had followed Jin Wang back to the palace. After the imperial physician treated his arrow wound, he brought the token that Jin Wang had given him to the prison.

A portion of the assassins lying in ambush at the Ye residence were killed by the guards on the spot. When they were caught, another portion committed suicide. In the end, only a few people were sent to prison.

But it was enough.

Ye Shu was escorted back to Yangxin Palace Hall by the guards. As soon as he entered, he saw Jin Wang lazily leaning on a small couch, holding a booklet and reading through it.

Other than his face being a bit pale, he seemed to be in good spirits.

He did not look like someone who had nearly lost his life half a day ago.

This person's recovery ability was truly amazing.

"You're back. Quickly come over — —" Seeing that Ye Shu had returned, Jin Wang was about to sit up, but he accidentally pulled on his wound. It hurt so much that his face turned pale.

He was surrounded by several eunuchs who hurriedly went to help him up.

Ye Shu quickly walked over and frowned, "Why aren't you lying down on the bed?"

"I was waiting for you to come back and eat."

Jin Wang placed a pillow behind him and forced himself to sit up. He smiled at him, "You must be tired. Quickly sit down and rest."

Ye Shu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm going to take a bath."

He had just come out of the prison. That place did not see sunlight all year round. It was damp and cold, and the heavy smell of blood could not be washed away.

Ye Shu had been in there for several hours, and the smell on his body was indescribable.

Ye Shu went to take a bath and change his clothes. When he returned, several eunuchs were placing food on the table.

Gao Jin was helping Jin Wang ladle soup.

Jin Wang was injured in his shoulder. Before the injury healed, he could not lift his entire arm.

However, as the Emperor, there were many people who could serve him in his daily life.

Ye Shu took the bowl of soup from Gao Jin's hands and sat down beside Jin Wang. "You can all leave."

In the past, the two of them didn't need servants to serve them when they ate, but today was a special occasion.

Gao Jin glanced at His Majesty's surprised expression. Seeing that His Majesty did not object, he dismissed the servants in the hall and left Yangxin Palace Hall.

Ye Shu fed Jin Wang soup spoonful by spoonful.

He suddenly remembered that he didn't like serving this person in the past.

In this era, imperial power reigned supreme, and the person in front of him was an emperor. With his status, he was destined to submit to the other party and serve the other party.

Ye Shu was not used to it and did not like such an unequal relationship.

But now, he no longer had such thoughts.

His movements were meticulous and careful. Jin Wang couldn't help but laugh. "Be good and eat by yourself. I am not as weak as you think."

Ye Shu ignored him. He scooped up another spoonful of soup and blew on it to cool it before feeding it to Jin Wang.

He didn't believe this person's words.

This was the first time he had seen Jin Wang so weak.

When the carriage returned to the palace, Jin Wang's entire body was covered in blood. His face was paler than the snow on the eaves, and there wasn't a trace of blood in it.

Whenever Ye Shu thought about how he had caused Jin Wang to be in this state, his heart ached so much that he almost couldn't breathe.

Jin Wang asked again, "How did the interrogation of those assassins go?"

Ye Shu paused and lowered his eyes. "The Imperial Guard didn't come back to report?"

"They did." Jin Wang chuckled. "They said that your methods were exceptional and that you were able to make those people confess after a little interrogation."

"How could it be that exaggerated?" Ye Shu shook his head. "I've already investigated. Those people aren't part of the Left Prime Minister's faction."

Ye Shu was still the Left Prime Minister in name after all.

It might not be that simple to investigate the background of those people, but it wasn't that difficult to find out if they were part of the original owner's faction.

He had only asked a few questions, and those people had already made a lot of mistakes. They had admitted that they had only wanted to use Ye Xiang's name to absolve their true employer.

It was just that they still didn't know who the true employer was.

If this was in the past, Ye Shu would have been very happy that he had been cleared of any suspicion of assassination. But today, he was faintly disappointed.

He had lost another lead on the original owner.

Jin Wang naturally knew what he was thinking, but he didn't mention it. Instead, he changed the topic. "Those assassins were well-trained. They were most likely assassins who made a living in the jianghu.

This kind of person wouldn't easily betray their employer. It's easy to find their flaws, but it's difficult to pry open their mouths. "

"... Actually, it's not that difficult." Ye Shu said in a small voice.

He looked up at Jin Wang and said, "Give me three more days. I'll find out the truth."

Jin Wang said, "A Shu, you don't have to …"

Ye Shu interrupted, "You've already given me your command tablet. There's nothing I can do if you don't agree.

I'll definitely investigate. "

"..."

Jin Wang was silent for a moment, then he suddenly laughed. "Idiot, I've already said that I don't blame you for today's matter."

Ye Shu was slightly startled. He pursed his lips.

Jin Wang raised his uninjured hand and touched the side of the other's face. "I was injured because of you. You're upset, so you want to help me find out the truth, right?"

"But in my eyes, none of those things are as important as you." Jin Wang said. "A Shu, in my heart, nothing is as important as your safety."

He was so moved that he wanted to stand up and hug the person in front of him. But it affected his injury, and his expression froze.

The atmosphere that had been brewing was swept away.

"I'm not trying to be brave."

Ye Shu didn't seem to notice his actions. Instead, he said seriously, "Believe me, I only need three days. Three days will be enough."

"..." Jin Wang gave up trying to argue with his injury and lay back on the pillow. "Then you have to promise me that you won't tire yourself out, that you won't encounter any danger, and that you won't do anything that will harm your body."

"Mm, I promise you."

"After three days, no matter what the result is, you can't continue investigating."

"Okay."

Jin Wang muttered to himself for a moment. "There's one more thing …"

"What?"

Jin Wang gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Sit closer. I can't hug you."

"..."

Ye Shu's ears were a little hot. He put down the bowl of soup and moved closer to Jin Wang.

After thinking for a while, he lowered his head and leaned into Jin Wang's embrace.

He carefully controlled his strength and tried not to touch Jin Wang's injury. He gently rested his head on the other's shoulder.

"Is this … okay?"

Jin Wang raised his uninjured arm and wrapped it around Ye Shu's waist.

Jin Wang had just taken a shower, so there was still a faint scent of water and soap on his body. He sniffed lightly and deliberately said, "Is this it?"

Ye Shu looked at him from the bottom up.

Jin Wang looked away and said vaguely, "My injury hurts. It hurts so much that I can't eat —"

Ye Shu leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips.

The kiss was short and brief. Ye Shu was a little embarrassed. He tilted his head and said, "That's what you want."

That touch was so quick that he almost couldn't feel it. Jin Wang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Little fool."

Ye Shu was unhappy. "I'm obviously coaxing you. How am I a fool?"

"How can you coax someone like that?" Jin Wang looked down at him and said gently, "Lower your head. Let me teach you."

.

Ye Shu was a man of his word. Not even three days had passed. On the afternoon of the second day, all the officials involved in the assassination were imprisoned.

If someone else had done this, it would have taken a lot of time, but Ye Shu was different.

After confirming that the assassins had nothing to do with the Left Prime Minister, it went without saying who their employer was.

Who the culprits were, how to obtain evidence, and how to arrest them were all written clearly in the book.

Now that the monarch was injured, no one expected him to hand over the investigation to the Imperial Concubine. No one expected the Imperial Concubine to act so quickly.

The officials involved in the conspiracy were uprooted before they could react.

Everyone in the court was shocked.

A suspicion that they had never thought of surfaced in their minds.

This way of doing things … was very similar to Ye Xiang in the past.

Ye Shu didn't care about how the court was discussing this.

What he wanted to do was much more than this.

On the last day of the three-day deadline, Ye Shu presented a list of names to Jin Wang.

"… This is a list of all the officials involved in the rebellion. Most of them can be verified now.

If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can personally investigate after you recover from your injuries, "Ye Shu said.

Jin Wang glanced at the names on the list and smiled. "Is this considered cheating?"

When Ye Shu proposed to investigate the truth, Jin Wang was worried that he would be implicated. Who knew …

Knowing the future was indeed very convenient.

"Arresting them one by one for interrogation without any evidence … you're really something."

Jin Wang leaned on the bed and said, "This list involves many officials. I'm afraid that a slight move will affect the whole situation."

"We can't touch these people now, so we should quickly replace them with trustworthy officials and then find a way to get rid of them," Ye Shu said seriously. "The spring civil service examination will be in two months. It's a good opportunity."

Jin Wang looked at him steadily.

Ye Shu felt uncomfortable under his gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing …" Jin Wang lowered his gaze.

Ye Shu's behavior was even more similar to the person in his memory.

In his memory, this person had also paved the way for him.

The certainty and decisiveness in his actions were so dazzling that people couldn't take their eyes off him.

Jin Wang didn't say anything else. He didn't even look at the list carefully. He just threw it to the side and opened his arms.

Ye Shu obediently went over and was hugged.

Jin Wang asked, "You didn't sleep last night?"

Ye Shu was stunned.

Jin Wang's voice turned cold. "Have you forgotten what I told you not to tire yourself out?"

Ye Shu's voice was somewhat muffled as he whispered, "… I didn't do it on purpose."

"I couldn't sleep."

For the past few days, Jin Wang had been recuperating in bed. Ye Shu no longer slept with him on the bed. He would return to Eternal Longevity Palace to rest at night.

When he returned to Eternal Longevity Palace, he couldn't sleep even more.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he saw Jin Wang being pierced by an arrow and covered in blood.

Even when he was asleep, he had nightmares and woke up several times in a single night.

Jin Wang gently stroked his back. "Looks like I have to get better soon."

Ye Shu buried his head in Jin Wang's shoulder and didn't say anything.

Jin Wang suddenly asked, "Do you want to be the supervisor for this year's Spring Examinations?"

The Spring Examinations were held once every three years. In the previous Spring Examinations, Ye Xiang had been the supervisor.

Ye Shu was stunned.

He understood what this question meant.

He held Jin Wang's token and helped him investigate the truth behind the assassination. No one could question him.

However, if he wanted to preside over the Spring Examinations, he had to be an important official.

Jin Wang wanted to … restore his identity.

Jin Wang said, "Don't say that you didn't think about it.

Everyone in the court saw what you did earlier. How could you hide it from them? "

"I …" Ye Shu lowered his gaze.

He naturally thought of this.

If he could calm down, he wouldn't have chosen to personally investigate this matter.

However, for the past few days, he had been preoccupied with capturing the people who had harmed Jin Wang. He couldn't care less about these things.

"Isn't it good to be the Prime Minister? You and I can rule the world together and support each other."

"However, I still respect your wishes," Jin Wang said. "If you want to continue being my Imperial Concubine, I'm naturally willing."

"You're testing me again." Ye Shu laughed. "If I agree, doesn't that mean I'll have to stay in the capital forever?"

Jin Wang generously admitted, "That's right."

Ye Shu struggled out of his embrace. "Then I'll have to think about it again."

The eunuch brought in a bowl of medicine. After Ye Shu finished feeding Jin Wang, he helped him lie down.

The medicine had the effect of helping him sleep. Jin Wang quickly fell asleep.

Ye Shu tucked him in and sat by the bed, staring at him in a daze.

Jin Wang wanted to regain his identity.

After he regained his identity, Ye Shu would no longer be a favored concubine who could only rely on the monarch. Their relationship would be more equal and independent.

They would rule the world together and support each other.

What a tempting choice.

"You're the fool." Ye Shu leaned against the bed and whispered, "If I'm the dove that takes over the magpie's nest, you'll suffer a great loss."

He hooked Jin Wang's finger and gently played with it. "But I still want to know the answer."

"No matter what the answer is, I should face it myself."

He straightened up and moved closer to Jin Wang. He stared at his sleeping face and whispered, "Even if in the end I'm not the person you think I am, I still …"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Shu lowered his head and kissed Jin Wang on the lips. He then got up and left the bedroom.

The imperial carriage was waiting outside the door. Ye Shu boarded the carriage and ordered, "Go to the Cold Palace."