Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"It was just a casual remark, let's not talk about it anymore, it's time to enjoy ourselves."

As they were talking, the door to the private room was moved open.

Two beautiful young women dressed in revealing dresses, carrying various kinds of sesame oil, approached the two men with small, quick steps.

Shen Lang glanced at the two girls, his gaze lingering on their fair legs for a moment, before he immediately rolled over onto his back.

Because she was afraid that others would notice the signs of her physical changes, she turned over.

Upon seeing the two girls, Jiang Shangxian's mouth watered.

"Brother, listen to your older brother, these two are fine. You choose one and treat yourself tonight."

"Hehe..." Shen Lang tilted his head, closed his eyes, and chuckled softly, "The girl is beautiful, but I'm afraid she might be poisonous."

Jiang Shangxian asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Before Shen Lang could speak, one of the girls said, "Two guests, may we begin serving you now?"

"Of course." Jiang Shangxian immediately smiled and turned to lie face down on the pillow. "By the way, besides massage, are there any other services?"

"Who do you mean by 'guest'?"

"You know."

The two girls blushed and then went to Shen Lang and Jiang Shangxian's side, taking off the clothes that were loosely covering their bodies.

The moment the cool, floral dew dripped onto his bare skin, a twisted look of pleasure appeared on Jiang Shangxian's face.

"I love this flavor. How about it, my brother? Is it satisfying?"

But Shen Lang was already engrossed in his own thoughts and didn't reply to Jiang Shangxian at all.

Just as the fragrance of flowers brushed against Shen Lang's shoulder, he silently slipped his left hand under the pillow.

"Your technique is quite good. Where are you from, young lady, and how old are you?"

Shen Lang asked casually.

The female technician replied, "Sir, I am from Bingzhou and have just turned eighteen."

"Bingzhou? That's pretty far from here." Shen Lang's lips twitched slightly. "Why would someone so young come to this godforsaken place and do this kind of shady business?"

Female technician: "The border area is bitterly cold, and you can't earn as much as here. It's just to make a living."

As she spoke, the female technician straddled Shen Lang's back, and then, in a pushing and rubbing motion, spread ginger flower dew from his back upwards.

Shen Lang frowned slightly, then murmured softly.

"Is it comfortable, sir?"

"Comfortable……"

The next moment, the female technician leaned close to Shen Zhao's ear and whispered, "Guest, would you like to go to the inner room? I have some new techniques I can demonstrate."

Shen Lang looked up and saw a semi-open room not far away.

Jiang Shangxian, standing nearby, immediately urged, "Brother, this is a rare opportunity!"

"Go ahead and have some fun tonight, brother. We'll exchange experiences when you're a real man."

Unexpectedly, Shen Lang grabbed the female technician's ankle from behind.

This unexpected move clearly caught the female technician off guard, causing her delicate body to tremble instinctively.

"Guest, what...what are you doing..."

Shen Lang didn't answer her question, but instead rubbed her ankle back and forth a few times before smiling.

"A native of Bingzhou? But why does your leg feel like that of someone from Yan?"

Upon hearing this, the other female technician lying on top of Jiang Shangxian was also instinctively startled.

"Guest, what nonsense are you talking about? What Yan state people? I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Bingzhou is located at the border of Chu and Yan. Although it is only a few dozen miles apart, the customs and climate of the two places are worlds apart."

The local people of Bingzhou mainly made a living through agriculture and animal husbandry, and ladies from wealthy families generally did not work in the fields, so their legs and feet felt relatively smooth to the touch.

Within the Great Yan Kingdom, the people practiced a semi-agricultural lifestyle. Both men and women, when away from home, primarily wore leather boots and rarely wore underwear socks, though outwardly they appeared unchanged.

However, the feel against the skin changes after wearing it for a long time. Crucially, wearing animal skin for an extended period will leave a faint, animalistic odor on the body.

No matter how much face powder and rouge are applied, a careful sniff will still reveal the difference clearly.

With that, Shen Lang flipped over and threw the female masseuse off him.

"Unfortunately, you've run into me, a soldier who has served on the border for many years. Tell me your origins honestly, so you can suffer less."

Jiang Shangxian was shocked. Just as he was about to get up, the female technician behind him suddenly pulled out a dagger from under her skirt.

"Little sister, we've been spotted! Move quickly..."

puff-

Blood splattered.

The next moment, she could no longer say anything.

Shen Lang pulled a dagger from under his pillow a step ahead, and the blade's energy, even from two steps away, directly severed the woman's throat.

"elder sister!"

With her identity exposed, the other female technician also stopped hiding and pulled out a dagger from under her skirt, pointing it at Jiang Shangxian.

"To repay the Prime Minister's kindness, you must die today! Ah—"

With that, she roared and lunged at Jiang Shangxian.

The scene startled Jiang Shangxian so much that he didn't even have time to react.

jingle--

But soon, a light tinkling of wind chimes blew by, and the tendons in her hand holding the dagger were severed.

Shen Lang kicked her to the ground and demanded sharply, "Tell me, who ordered you to come?"

"Hehe, uh—"

However, the next second, a mouthful of black blood gushed from the female technician's mouth, her head lolled to the side, and she fell silent.

Shen Lang immediately placed his fingers on her neck and then shook his head.

"died."

At this moment, Jiang Shangxian, still shaken, was trembling, the oil on his body making gurgling sounds as he shook.

"Your Highness, stop standing there and get to work."

"okay."

Jiang Shangxian was so frightened that he jumped out of bed and walked to the body to examine it carefully.

Then, he let out a series of regretful "slurping" sounds and couldn't help but say to Shen Lang, "What a fine color! What a pity. Brother, why don't we go while it's still hot?"

Upon seeing this, Shen Lang was so shocked that he shuddered and slapped him on the forehead without saying a word.

"It's so embarrassing to have your subordinates like this. What kind of time is this to be in the mood to make the best of a bad situation? I've really opened my eyes."

After saying that, he tossed him a token, which was the identity token of the Jingwei Division.

"Brother, you even carry your ID and weapon with you? Are you that vigilant?"

Shen Lang ignored him and directly ordered, "Immediately seal off the scene and have the Jingwei Division and other government offices assist."

Everyone in Shuyu Tower tonight must be thoroughly investigated.

"Okay, I'll do it right away."

Jiang Shangxian quickly got dressed and went out the door.

Shen Lang carefully examined the clues left on the two female corpses, but apart from the deadly poison hidden in their teeth, he found nothing.

In the end, the character "叶" was only found on two daggers.

Before long, a commotion broke out inside Shuyu Tower. Shen Lang knew that Jiang Shangxian had entered with his government officials.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jiang Shangxian returned to Shen Lang's side and asked, "Brother, do you have any clues? I have completely sealed off Shuyu Tower."

Shen Lang handed him a dagger coated with deadly poison: "It's for you."

Jiang Shangxian glanced at them and frowned: "The people from the Prime Minister's residence, these guys have some nerve."

Shen Lang shook his head: "It's not that simple. If you were from the Prime Minister's mansion, would you expose yourself so openly?"

Jiang Shangxian pointed to the dagger in his hand and said, "This workmanship is from the Ye family workshop. I recognize it clearly."

Shen Lang let out a long breath and said, "Alright, Your Highness, we still need to report this matter to the Empress. After all, an assassination attempt on a prince has failed."

But this is no small case. You're the one who should handle it; I don't want to get involved.

With that, he got up and walked outside.

Jiang Shangxian hurriedly chased after him: "Where are you going? Don't leave me alone, it'll be creepy."

"I was on vacation today, and to encounter something like this is truly the worst luck imaginable. If I had known this would happen, I would have bought a roast chicken and gone home to drink."

Shen Lang muttered a complaint, leaving a bewildered Jiang Shangxian behind, and walked straight into the hall.

Just as Jiang Shangxian was about to continue the chase, Fu'er ran to him with tears streaming down her face and cried out, "Your Highness, I really didn't know anything about this! You must do justice for me!"

Jiang Shangxian was very impatient: "Alright, alright, what are you crying for? Once I've investigated thoroughly, I'll definitely clear your name."

Now, coordinate well with all the government offices and prevent any further trouble; you've truly spoiled my enjoyment."

After shaking off Fu'er, Jiang Shangxian continued to chase after Shen Lang.

At this moment, Shen Lang was standing in front of a handsome scholar in the hall.

The scholar was extremely handsome, with a face like jade, eyes like bright stars, eyebrows like ink paintings, and lips like painted rouge.

Her temperament was extraordinary; her posture was as upright as a pine tree, and her movements were elegant and composed, as if she were an immortal descending to earth.

His brows exuded a scholarly air, making him seem very gentle and approachable.

Shen Lang looked at him, and a memory of an old friend came to mind: a man with a middle parting, wearing black and white overalls, and holding a basketball.