The Killer's Cleansing Manual

——Princess Mansion——

"Your Highness, may I ask how this subordinate should proceed?"

Qi Zhaomian glanced at the person kneeling on the ground and said quietly:

"Although Ji Shihan has appointed you as the housekeeper, he still won't let you look at the account books. This clearly shows he doesn't trust you. So, you might as well do as he says and get this done quickly. He'll trust you even more."

The man on the ground raised his head, and it was the housekeeper who had just run out of the Grand Tutor's Mansion.

"Your Highness, if you really kill him, wouldn't that mean the Prince Consort's painstaking search would be over?"

Qi Zhaomian thought of that person, looked at the pond outside the window carelessly, and said slowly:

"It's okay. What can she find out? It's just a child playing house."

The housekeeper responded and hurried out of the princess's mansion.

Qi Zhaomian asked Xiao'er to prepare some pastries, and she quickly wrote a note and put it on the bottom layer. When Xiao'er came over with the food box, she put the note on the bottom layer.

"Send this to the Prince Consort. Be careful on the road and don't let anyone follow you."

Xiao'er responded and hurriedly picked up the lunch box. Before she went out, she met Lin Shanjuan at the door.

"Prince Consort!" Xiao'er called her in surprise, freeing one hand to wave at her.

Lin Shanjuan pushed his horse's belly and walked faster. When he got to her, he asked, "Where are you going?"

Xiao'er smiled and said, "His Highness asked me to send it to you, worried that you would be starving. I didn't expect you to come back."

Lin Shanjuan was immediately touched - I didn't expect that my financial sponsor would be so considerate of me and even care about whether I was hungry!

She dismounted gratefully, and the servant took the horse and left. She walked inside, asking as she went, "How has the princess been these past few months?"

Xiao'er hesitated when she heard this, but when she saw Lin Shanjuan's eyes encouraging her to speak boldly, she complained in a low voice.

"You've been gone for several months, and you haven't sent a letter home. Your Highness keeps asking about you, thinking of you. I was happy to hear you've returned this morning, but when I heard you didn't even enter the house and just..."

Lin Shanjuan was stunned. For some reason, she felt guilty for having been away from home for several months, leaving her wife alone in the empty house.

How can I have time to write a letter when there are so many people holding knives behind me to kill me?

She was so busy thinking about this that she didn't notice Nanny Chen waiting for her at the end of the path. When she saw her, it was too late to leave.

"Consort——"

Lin Shanjuan: ...I suddenly began to miss the days when I was on the run.

"Mammy." She moved in front of the person with a forced smile, "Mammy, how are you feeling lately?"

Nanny Chen liked her sweet talk and caring nature, and of course she would be even happier if she could care more about the princess.

"Thanks to the Prince Consort, I am still in good health. Your Highness has been waiting for the Prince Consort's return day and night. Why did the Prince Consort return home only now?"

Seeing that she was about to ramble on again, Lin Shanjuan quickly stopped her: "It's been a while since we last met, and I miss the princess too. I'm going to go find her first, and I'll talk to you next time."

She ran away after she finished speaking, and Nanny Chen's face was full of relief.

Xiao'er came up to her, her tone full of admiration: "Madam is really amazing. She told the prince consort to go to His Highness's room with just one sentence."

Nanny Chen straightened her clothes and said, "Tell the kitchen not to serve dinner so quickly. I'll ask for instructions later. It won't be too late to serve dinner later."

The young couple has been separated for several days, so they probably have a lot to talk about!

Lin Shanjuan ran to the study door and knocked. Qi Zhaomian recognized who was knocking so impatiently. The corners of his lips subconsciously curled up, then quickly fell again, with a voice that was neither salty nor bland.

"Come in."

Lin Shanjuan hesitated for a second, then thought of Xiao'er and Nanny Chen's hints, and silently retracted his right hand, leaving only his sleeve hanging empty.

Hmm... maybe the self-torture trick will work?

She pushed the door open with her left hand and poked her head out to look at the desk.

Qi Zhaomian was wearing a light blue cotton skirt today with a cape draped over her shoulders. The shape of the neckline made her face look a bit cold. She held a pen in her bare hands, but put it down when she heard the sound. Her cool gaze, like the first clearing of ice and snow, fell on Lin Shanjuan's eyes.

Lin Shanjuan suddenly felt a warmth in her heart. She turned around and closed the door. The cold wind from the gap in the door made her shiver.

It was still early autumn before she set out, and the clothes she wore were not that thick. The Qingzhengsi didn't have any thick clothes either, so she was still wearing light clothes.

"Your Highness, I'm back."

She said this with a smile and waited for Qi Zhaomian to let her sit.

Qi Zhaomian looked at her. She had become thinner, but her features remained the same. She was dressed so thinly that it seemed as if the ends of her hair were covered in cold air.

"Your Highness, I'm back."

Qi Zhaomian came back to his senses and wondered why this man had become more well-behaved after going out. In the past, he would sit anywhere he wanted, but now he stood there so properly that it seemed as if he was much more distant.

Qi Zhaomian frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable. Was it because of Ye Xi? Or someone else?

"Please sit down, Prince Consort."

Lin Shanjuan was startled by the name and looked at Qi Zhaomian's expression cautiously.

Is he really angry because I came home late? Or is it because I didn't write a letter?

It’s okay for the sponsor to be unreasonable when he’s angry, but it’s absolutely unreasonable for her not to coax this little bird!

She dragged a small stool and sat across from Qi Zhaomian's table, closing the distance between them and looking up at her:

"I've been busy traveling these past few months, with blockades ahead and pursuers behind. I have no place to write a letter. Don't be angry."

Intercept? Pursuit?

Qi Zhaomian looked at her more carefully and found that only her left hand was on the table, with her right hand hanging under the table.

"You are hurt?"

Lin Shanjuan could clearly feel the cold murderous intent in her tone when she said these four words, and he quickly put on an aggrieved look.

"Yes! Such a long knife! It was so long! It cut my hand! It hurt so much!"

She described the cut as the pain of a broken arm. Qi Zhaomian was shocked and didn't care about his face. He walked around and saw her empty right sleeve, which immediately shocked him.

She carefully held the sleeve of her right hand, empty!

"You..." Qi Zhaomian felt a lot of regret in his heart - he should have let Yue Liu go with her from the beginning.

Lin Shanjuan's lips were already white from the cold, and the psychological suggestion of a "broken arm" made her look even more pitiful at the moment.

"Your Highness, please don't be angry with me, okay?"

Shameful! She, Lin Shanjuan! To be so humble and act pitiful in front of a woman! How shameful!

Qi Zhaomian was touched by her eyes, and silently took off his cloak and covered Lin Shanjuan's shoulders.

Lin Shanjuan looked up in surprise. There was a lot of self-blame and more complicated emotions in Qi Zhaomian's eyes, which made it difficult to see clearly.

"How can I blame you?"