"For now, I'll think it over."
Zhu Sheng waved a hand, signaling Gou Buren to withdraw.
Gou Buren was unwilling to let it go and wanted to continue persuading him, but seeing that Zhu Sheng had already closed his eyes and was preparing to dismiss his guest, he swallowed the words on his tongue. After saluting, he left the study.
After the other man departed, Zhu Sheng fell silent for a moment before saying:
"Go tell Jiang Che not to take things too far. It will look bad. Tell him to rein himself in as much as possible."
"Yes."
"Is there anything else?"
Seeing that the old steward had not left, Zhu Sheng asked.
"Madam asked whether you'll be doing the usual tonight."
The old steward bowed.
"Yes, the usual. Oh, and tell Madam that she needn't ask beforehand every time from now on. Nothing will go wrong." Zhu Sheng continued.
"Yes, this old servant takes his leave."
The old steward had no idea what exactly the master and Madam meant by those words. He was merely a messenger, and he did not have the nerve to ask.
After the old steward left, Zhu Sheng pulled open a drawer beneath his desk. Inside lay more than a dozen human-skin masks with different appearances. He selected one and pressed it onto his face, where it fit seamlessly.
Even at close range, there was no sign of anything amiss.
A thrilled smile curled at the corner of his lips.
As Zhu Sheng had grown older, he had long since lost much interest in matters between men and women. Later, by chance, he captured a thief exceptionally skilled at disguises and tortured from him the method of crafting human-skin masks.
For some reason, a wicked fire had suddenly risen in his heart at