Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1054: Lack of Romantic Understanding

“Didn’t hear anything?” Song Qingshu smiled noncommittally. “We’re all sensible people, why should Madam deceive herself?”

Cheng Yaojia was filled with regret, thinking to herself why she had been so foolish as to eavesdrop, only to overhear such a shocking secret, which had now brought her into this mess.

“I won’t tell anyone else,” Cheng Yaojia hurriedly assured him.

Song Qingshu shook his head, stood up, and walked to her. “I have no doubt about your sincerity, Madam. However, people change. Without me watching, who knows if you might reveal my secret for other reasons?”

Cheng Yaojia took two steps back, flustered, and said, “No, you’ve been so kind to me these past few days. I’m so grateful; how could I possibly do anything to betray you?”

Looking at her delicate face, Song Qingshu asked calmly, “What if your husband asks you to tell him?”

“I…I still won’t tell him.” Cheng Yaojia hesitated at first, but her voice grew increasingly firm.

Song Qingshu reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can feel your sincerity, Madam, but I’m a rational person. I won’t entrust my future to a promise.”

Cheng Yaojia’s face paled, and she trembled as she said, “I understand what you mean. I only ask that you remember your promise and help me rescue husband.” She then quietly closed her eyes.

Seeing her delicate eyelashes tremble slightly, Song Qingshu chuckled, “What are you doing?”

“Weren’t you going to kill me to silence me? Go ahead,” Cheng Yaojia replied, though her rapidly heaving chest betrayed her inner turmoil. 

Song Qingshu couldn’t help but smile: “Who said I was going to kill you?”

“Huh?” Cheng Yaojia opened her eyes, looking at him blankly. “You…you’re not going to kill me?”

Song Qingshu gently lifted Cheng Yaojia’s chin, admiringly saying, “A woman as beautiful as you, Madam, what man would bear to harm you?” However, he quickly changed his tone: “Of course, if we hadn’t met before, even if I were reluctant, I’d probably have no choice but to cruelly destroy you.”

Although Cheng Yaojia was shy and timid, she was also a clever woman. Hearing this, she knew that he had no intention of killing her, and couldn’t help but bite her lip: “Thank you.”

“Madam, don’t be in such a hurry to thank me. Although I won’t kill you, to ensure that the secret isn’t leaked, I can only ask that you bear with it for a moment and stay by my side until I come up with a foolproof plan.” 

At this moment, Song Qingshu couldn’t help but sigh. Why did he dislike killing so much? The ruthless protagonists in those fantasy novels of his past life could resolve such matters in the blink of an eye, but he had to deal with this headache. 

After much thought, Song Qingshu could only attribute it to his past life as an ordinary person. He understood the psychology of ordinary people and didn’t want to be eliminated like ants by nobles, privileged individuals, or powerful figures. In this world, due to various reasons, he was no longer ordinary, but he didn’t want to lose his conscience and wantonly harm other ordinary people.

Because Song Qingshu was distracted, Cheng Yaojia had the opportunity to carefully observe the new appearance of the man before her. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, was exceptionally handsome, and possessed an air of composure.

As she looked at him, her face flushed without her realizing it: he was much more handsome than before with his full beard…

Song Qingshu finally snapped out of his daze, noticing that she was staring intently at him. He smiled slightly and extended his hand: “Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Song Qingshu.”

Looking at his outstretched hand, Cheng Yaojia blushed: “You… what are you doing?”

Song Qingshu then realized that this was no longer the world of his previous life, where shaking hands with a woman was considered indecent. However, being the carefree person he was, he naturally didn’t care about such formalities. His expression remained unchanged as he said, “This is a handshake custom from my hometown. When two people first meet, they extend their hands to shake each other as a sign of friendship.” He perfectly exemplified what it meant to talk nonsense with a straight face.

Cheng Yaojia wondered where such an absurd custom would exist, but she still subconsciously extended her hand to shake his: “Hello, I… I’m Cheng Yaojia.”

Hearing that she didn’t mention her status as the young mistress of Guiyun Manor, Song Qingshu’s heart skipped a beat.

Their skin t0uched, feeling the warmth of each other’s palms. Cheng Yaojia’s face flushed even more. She tried several times to pull her hand away, but found it wouldn’t budge.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Cheng Yaojia exclaimed, “You’re the Golden Serpent King, Song Qingshu?”

Song Qingshu raised an eyebrow. “Madam, you’ve heard of me too?”

“More than just heard of you,” Cheng Yaojia gave him a complicated look, then hesitated, “Does the handshake in your hometown last this long?”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s just that Madam’s hands are so smooth and delicate; I didn’t want to let go.” Song Qingshu said without blushing or panting, but ultimately released her hand.

Hearing him say such shameless words with such self-righteousness, Cheng Yaojia suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. She realized that the man before her was still the same person who had always protected and comforted her, while also teasing her from time to time.

“Your assassination attempt on Emperor Kangxi is known throughout the land, and your subsequent victory over a Qing army of 100,000 has earned you the applause of countless Han people. Not long ago, you rescued dozens of princesses of our Great Song Dynasty. Now, the entire Song Kingdom regards you as a hero of the Han people.” Cheng Yaojia thought of how her elders often mentioned this name, and even her husband frequently praised him. If he knew she was now with the hero he admired, she wondered if he would feel envious.

Cheng Yaojia suddenly blushed. She thought of how her husband would be furious if he knew she was sleeping in the same bed as Song Qingshu; how could she possibly feel envious?

“And what about you, Madam? How does Madam view me?” Song Qingshu sat down near the bed and asked meaningfully.

“I…” Cheng Yaojia’s lips parted slightly, not daring to speak her mind directly. After thinking for a long time, she could only describe it in a relatively euphemistic way, “In my heart, you are a very capable hero, only a little… a little scoundrel.”

Song Qingshu laughed heartily, “Madam, you’re being too mild. I’m afraid in your heart, I’m more than just a scoundrel; I’m more like a lecher0us sc0undrel.”

Who knew Cheng Yaojia would shake her head slightly, “No, although you are sometimes… a little sc0undrel, you are a gentleman at heart.” Thinking of how he had teased her from time to time these past few days, but ultimately hadn’t done anything to her, even last night when she had taken the initiative to throw herself into his arms, he had remained respectful, at most… at most he had used a little force this morning.

“Is that so?” Song Qingshu beckoned, and Cheng Yaojia was pulled into his arms, her waist pulled close, and he pressed her onto his lap. “But what if I don’t want to be a gentleman anymore?”

Feeling his masculine aura so close, Cheng Yaojia’s heart pounded. She dared not meet his gaze, instinctively turning her head away, her voice barely audible: “As long as you remember what you promised me, the rest… it’s up to you.”

Feeling the warm, full body in his arms, Song Qingshu’s throat tightened, and he leaned closer.

As he drew nearer, Cheng Yaojia’s heart raced even faster, her eyelashes trembling.

“My lady’s heart is beating so fast, what are you afraid of?” Their lips were only an inch apart when Song Qingshu suddenly stopped.

Cheng Yaojia bit her lip: “You know… you know what I’m afraid of.”

“I don’t know.” A smile played on Song Qingshu’s lips. “Let me feel what my lady’s heart is afraid of…”

A flicker of confusion crossed Cheng Yaojia’s eyes. She wondered how someone could possibly feel that, but the moment his hand slipped inside her cl0thes, she instantly understood.

“This scoundrel~” Cheng Yaojia stiffened slightly, but didn’t flinch.

Looking at her cherry-like lips up close, so m0ist and alluring, Song Qingshu couldn’t resist any longer and ki$$ed her directly.

Cheng Yaojia let out a soft m0an, collapsing into his arms.

At first, her emotions were incredibly complex. One moment she thought she was betraying her husband, the next she comforted herself that she was doing this to save him. 

After being ki$$ed by Song Qingshu for a while, she gradually became ar0used, involuntarily closing her eyes, her b0dy growing weaker and her skin hotter.

Feeling the beauty in his arms as if her bones were melting, Song Qingshu gently placed her on the bed and pressed himself against her.

“Marshal, Marshal!” 

Just then, a rapid knocking came from the door.

Song Qingshu sat up, looking annoyed, and asked in an unfriendly tone, “What is it?”

Cheng Yaojia also snapped out of her reverie, turning away in embarrassment and frantically buttoning her clothes.

Hearing the tone of voice from inside, the guard outside felt a chill run down his spine, knowing he had probably ruined his boss’s plans. But now, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, “The kid who was brought back is shouting and yelling in the cell, demanding to see you.”

“He wants to see me, so I’ll go see him? Can’t you handle such a trivial matter yourselves?!” Being disturbed at such a crucial moment, if Song Qingshu hadn’t been so kind-hearted, he probably would have dragged this guy out and given him a good beating.

“But he says his uncle is Zhang Jun, and that the Marshal will definitely go to see him upon hearing that name.” The guard cursed inwardly, thinking he’d have to give that kid a good beating when he got back to vent his anger. 

“Zhang Jun!” Song Qingshu abruptly stood up. “Did he really say that?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, you go down first, I’ll go see him immediately.” Song Qingshu couldn’t afford to be careless, because Zhang Jun was now the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently the Vice Minister of the Chancellery in the Southern Song Dynasty, commonly known as the Right Chancellor. His official position was even above that of Han Dingxie and Mou Wozheng, and he and the Left Chancellor were the nominal heads of the central government in the Southern Song Dynasty.