Cen Daoxi personally went to the theater to catch the thief, and even Qin Zheng heard about it.

The theater was originally owned by the Lu family in the capital.

However, after the Lu family fell from grace, many of their properties fell into the hands of Li Xin’s cronies.

The theater was one of them.

Compared to other properties, the theater was not considered important.

The Lu family was busy reclaiming other businesses, so they didn’t pay attention to the theater for the time being.

Cen Daoxi was a close confidant of Chu Chengji.

Qin Zheng thought that Chu Chengji was helping the Lu family reclaim this property.

She mentioned it to Chu Chengji inadvertently, but Chu Chengji said, “I never instructed that.”

He placed the bamboo slips in his hand on the table, and the slender joints cast long shadows under the palace lamp. “The Lu family was once powerful, which made Emperor Yang’s son suspicious.

After struggling until now, they have finally recovered.

The current head of the Lu family is cautious and dare not let the Lu family face any risks again.

After the Lu family’s downfall and the division of their properties, they only managed to reclaim a portion.”

The original crown prince’s mother was a member of the Lu family.

At the height of the Lu family’s power, their intricate web of influence almost covered the entire court.

At that time, the Lu family even planned to marry their eldest daughter into the Eastern Palace as the crown prince’s consort.

However, the Lu family quickly experienced the truth of “what goes up must come down.”

The influence of the imperial family was too vast, and the original prince received negative prophecies similar to Emperor Wujia’s.

Emperor Yang became more and more suspicious of the original crown prince and the Lu family, even suspecting the original crown prince’s prophecies, which were allegedly influenced by bribed officials from the Qintianjian.

Emperor Yang began to suppress the Lu family with all his might.

The empress was constantly overshadowed by other favored concubines in the palace, and the Lu family’s teacher in the court was either demoted or transferred far away.

Whenever the original crown prince encountered any setbacks in his duties, he would be reprimanded by Emperor Yang in front of the whole court.

At that time, the Lu family and the original crown prince’s faction realized too late that Emperor Yang was starting to deal with them.

Although the Lu family was powerful, they did not have military power and dared not openly oppose Emperor Yang, so they could only keep a low profile.

In order to protect himself, the original crown prince began to tarnish his own reputation, leading to the incident of “being swayed by beauty” and seeking to marry a woman from the Qin family.

During the years when Emperor Yang was suspicious of the Lu family, nearly half of their supporters were lost.

Having learned from this lesson, after Chu Chengji recaptured Bianjing, the Lu family always adhered to the doctrine of the mean.

While the Lu family in Yingzhou still wanted to send a daughter to Chu Chengji’s side, the Lu family in the capital had no such plans at all.

If they were to reclaim all their properties from the heyday, they would inevitably offend many powerful figures, and the petty-minded people were the most troublesome.

In order to avoid becoming a target again, the Lu family only reclaimed some of their main properties.

The rest could be reclaimed by Chu Chengji and then added to the national treasury.

In this way, the Lu family also owed Chu Chengji a favor.

However, after the restoration of the country, there were many things to be done.

Chu Chengji and Qin Zheng were busy dealing with other urgent matters, issuing laws and ordinances, and hadn’t had time to sort out the property deeds that Li Xin occupied after capturing Bianjing and fell into the hands of cronies.

Hearing what he said, Qin Zheng couldn’t help but feel puzzled. “Then Minister Cen’s actions this time are quite strange.”

Chu Chengji said, “It’s an opportunity to settle the properties lost after the fall of Bianjing.”

He lifted his eyelids and glanced at Qin Zheng with a meaningful look. “The money from this transaction will go into the national treasury. You can use it as the first funds to select a site and build the Shanhai Weir.”

Qin Zheng pretended not to detect the playful tone in his voice, holding the book calmly and said, “Then I’ll discuss it with Minister Cen on another day.”

Cen Daoxi had taken the initiative to investigate the theater, and he might have gathered a considerable amount of evidence by now.

It was appropriate to leave the next steps to him.

A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Chu Chengji’s mouth, and he propped his chin with one hand, silently watching Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng initially wanted to pretend she didn’t notice, but with him staring like that, she couldn’t keep up the act.

She had to lift her head and ask, “Why have you been staring at me?”

Chu Chengji said, “Your Majesty, it’s late.”

Qin Zheng responded with an “Oh,” and then remained silent.

She withdrew her gaze, continuing to flip through the pages of the book in her hand, pretending not to understand the meaning behind Chu Chengji’s words.

Chu Chengji was patient. “Don’t read for too long at night; it’s bad for your eyes.”

Qin Zheng replied, “This travelogue is quite interesting. Let’s leave the boat aside for now. I’ll finish reading this section and then sleep.”

Chu Chengji’s gaze lowered, sweeping over the book in her hand, and he asked, “Which section? I might have read it before and can tell you about it.”

Qin Zheng read the travelogue mostly to understand the customs, geography, and topography of various places.

However, the descriptions by ancient writers often transcended into lyrical prose, making it quite taxing to read after grading papers all day.

When she said she wanted to finish the travelogue before sleeping, it was also a deliberate attempt to stall Chu Chengji, intending to see his reaction.

Hearing him respond like this, she casually mentioned the title of the travelogue she randomly opened: “The Record of the Banquet at the Western Mountains.”

Chu Chengji’s eyebrows lifted slightly, seemingly surprised by her choice.

He stretched out one arm, gesturing for Qin Zheng to come closer, “This was written by an official who was exiled. Without knowing his life story, it’s hard to understand the hidden meanings.”

Qin Zheng sat closer with the travelogue in her hand, and Chu Chengji pulled her into his embrace.

With a gold-threaded floral pillow behind him, he adopted a relaxed posture, and his slender fingers landed on the first line of the travelogue: “‘Since I became a condemned man,’ condemned man meaning a criminal.”

Qin Zheng listened attentively.

Under the octagonal palace lamp, her cheeks appeared porcelain white, with tiny hairs barely visible.

Because of her lowered head while reading, her long eyelashes drooped halfway, occasionally fluttering like the wings of an ink butterfly, stirring someone’s heartstrings.

When Chu Chengji glanced at her sideways, his eyes darkened slightly.

Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss on her smooth neck.

Qin Zheng felt a sudden coolness at the back of her neck and lifted her head in surprise, but when she saw Chu Chengji’s eyes, she couldn’t help but smile.

Chu Chengji lightly sniffed at her neck and asked, “Not pretending anymore?”

With her little trick exposed, Qin Zheng wasn’t embarrassed at all.

Instead, she nestled into his embrace and said, “Continue talking. I’m listening.”

The scattered kisses trailed down from her neck, and Chu Chengji’s voice, which was already melodious, now carried an intoxicatingly low and mellow tone as he continued, “‘Living in this state, constantly feeling fearful and anxious…'”

At this moment, his voice was even more captivating than usual, infused with a seductive charm.

Qin Zheng could initially concentrate on listening to what he was saying, but later on, all she remembered was the scorching breath that sprayed over her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

He leaned back on the couch, gripping her waist to make her sit down.

The muscles on his well-proportioned forearm bulged, and with a hoarse voice, he continued to explain the travelogue in her ear: “…’With a calm mind, merging with all things’—this sentence expresses tranquility, dissipating the depression from the setbacks in one’s career through the beauty of the scenery.”

Sweat formed on his body, and Qin Zheng could hardly hold onto his neck.

He pressed down on the back of her head, tilting it up to kiss her, then asked, “Qin Zheng, do you understand this travelogue?”

Qin Zheng’s mind turned to mush, and she had no idea what he had said later on.

All she could do was glare at him resentfully.

Chu Chengji’s smile at that moment was extremely charming. “It’s alright if you didn’t understand. I can explain it to you again.”

…

Qin Zheng was brought back to the bed, and after listening to his extremely slow explanation several times in a row, when she was asked again if she understood,

She was too tired to even move a finger but still nodded frantically. “I understand, I understand, I remember.”

Chu Chengji stole a kiss on her cheek, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. “In the future, if there are any passages you don’t understand, just ask me before going to sleep.”

Qin Zheng pretended to be asleep with her eyes closed, thinking there wouldn’t be a next time.

…..

Cen Daoxi did an excellent job of settling the old assets.

He was resourceful and unafraid of offending people, with Chu Chengji and Qin Zheng behind him.

None of those troublesome figures dared to cause trouble in his hands.

When Qin Zheng was reviewing the accounts, she praised Cen Daoxi, and casually asked, “How did Minister Cen come up with the idea to suddenly investigate the theater?”

Cen Daoxi replied in an official tone, “It’s just to share the worries of Your Majesty and Your Highness.”

He didn’t want to reveal the true reason, and Qin Zheng didn’t press further.

A few days later, she suddenly received a report from Qin Jian implicating Lin Zhao.

Qin Zheng’s eyelids twitched a few times.

Lin Zhao had been going to the theater for quite some time, and although she managed to escape when Cen Daoxi raided the theater, it had been observed by others that she had been there before and even requested a private performance.

Qin Jian didn’t publicly accuse Lin Zhao in court but handed Qin Zheng the report.

As long as Qin Zheng wanted to suppress it, she could.

Qin Zheng pondered this matter and thought it was quite strange that Qin Jian chose to deliver this report after Cen Daoxi’s investigation.

Could it be that Cen Daoxi raided the theater that day to catch Lin Zhao in the act?

After careful consideration, Qin Zheng realized that Lin Zhao and Cen Daoxi indeed had some grudges.

This left Qin Zheng in a dilemma.

These two individuals, one civil and one military, were both important officials of Great Chu.

If they were to clash in court in the future, it would indeed be a headache.

Qin Zheng immediately summoned Lin Zhao to the palace and informed her about going to the theater, drinking, and requesting private performances, which had been reported to Qin Jian.

“Nowadays, there’s an emphasis on integrity in court. While it’s fine for you to go to the theater, requesting private performances will definitely be used against you by those with ill intentions.”

Lin Zhao scratched the back of her head, feeling embarrassed and disheartened in front of Qin Zheng, resembling a child who had done something wrong. “I didn’t request a private performance. I just went there to drink, and the performer came over on their own to sing.”

Qin Zheng naturally understood Lin Zhao’s character and reminded her, “Be more cautious in the future. Both you and your brother are straightforward people, but the court is a muddy pool. Don’t give others a handle to hold onto. I trust you, but others won’t.”

Lin Zhao nodded, looking at Qin Zheng with a guilty expression. “If someone accuses me, Sister Zheng, you can punish me as you see fit. Don’t make things difficult for you because of me.”

Qin Zheng smiled and said, “It won’t be that difficult. I summoned you to the palace today to talk about these things, not to blame you. It’s to prevent you and your brother from being caught in a compromising position in the future.”

At this point, Qin Zheng paused for a moment before continuing, “By the way, I noticed that Minister Cen’s investigation of the theater was likely aimed at you. Lin Zhao, tell me the truth, how did you end up having such a big feud with Minister Cen?”

Qin Zheng was close to Lin Zhao, and they rarely addressed each other as ” Her Highness ” and ” General Lin ” in private.

When Lin Zhao heard Qin Zheng mention Cen Daoxi’s investigation of the theater, she hesitated, but in the end, she could only say dryly, “There’s nothing between Minister Cen and me.”

Qin Zheng’s expression clearly showed her disbelief.

With her head hanging down, Lin Zhao circled her toe on the ground, feeling embarrassed and despondent, and said, “He proposed marriage to me.”

Qin Zheng almost spat out the tea she had just drunk.

She choked and coughed, seriously suspecting that she had misheard. “Proposed marriage?”