Chapter 35 Heartbeat

If it weren't for the fact that Liu Fuying was a woman, Chen Xiunian would have grabbed her by the collar.

"I'm asking you."

Shen Xiunian stared at her and changed the subject.

"Where did you go last night?"

Liu Fuying moved a little further away from him with some disdain, and said with a smile: "Why don't you tell me where you went to find me?"

Whenever Liu Fuying thought about how Chen Xiunian went to Xiangshan yesterday to investigate for Pei Zhouwu and helped Pei Zhouwu clear his name, he wanted to laugh.

"Let me guess." Liu Fuying smiled, with a wanton and undisguised shrewdness that she would never show when she was with Pei Zhouwu. "Your mother must be seriously ill. You must have searched all over the city for me in a hurry. If you couldn't find me in the city, you must have searched outside the city. Changming Temple is the most important place. Do you think I must have gone to meet my adulterer outside?"

Shen Xiunian's face darkened, thinking that Liu Fuying was really shameless.

She actually spoke so confidently about having an affair with her adulterer, as if it was natural.

It seemed as if she and the guy outside were a proper couple, while he was restrained and looked like a pretty boy who was not worthy of being in public.

"Chen Xiunian, do you think you are stupid?"

Liu Fuying stopped smiling and sat up straighter.

"You have already guessed where I was having a secret meeting with my lover outside. How could I be so foolish as to continue to wait at Changming Temple for you to catch me in adultery? I should not be held responsible for what happened yesterday. You were the one who caused the trouble by your recklessness. I was already tolerant and generous by not asking you to bow your head and apologize to me. But you still want to blame me. Who do you think I am? A slave you bought, who can come and go at your will and let you be beaten and scolded?"

Shen Xiunian's face turned pale, and his momentum weakened.

It is indeed true that he is the one who should be held responsible for what happened yesterday.

If I think about it carefully, I had actually figured this out last night, so why did he get angry again today?

Shen Xiunian slowly sat up straight, he couldn't figure it out either.

He went out of the city to look for someone because he was worried about his mother's illness, not because he wanted to arrest Liu Fuying and ask her for punishment. Why did he suddenly get angry when he saw Jin Li driving Liu Fuying back home?

"You are a good debater and you are always right."

In the end, he just blurted out these words lightly, which lacked any momentum.

Liu Fuying stopped talking. For a stubborn man like Chen Xiunian, saying such words was already an apology from him. If she continued to pursue him and poke at his lungs, both sides would lose face.

It's also unnecessary.

What is her relationship with Shen Xiunian? Does she expect him to admit his mistakes and live a good life with her?

"Back to the city."

Liu Fuying shouted outside, and the carriage continued to move forward.

She didn't rush Chen Xiunian out of the car, not because she wanted to save his face, but because she wanted to find out something.

The same is true for Shen Xiunian.

"How is my mother-in-law?" Liu Fuying asked patiently.

Shen Xiunian's temper had softened a lot at this time, and when he asked about his mother, he was more worried and replied, "The imperial physician came to see her yesterday and said that my mother was possessed by a demon in her heart, and that the medicine she took could only calm her down and help her sleep better."

"She is your biological mother after all. You are the one closest to her at all times, but I see that you don't really care about her. Do you really want me to take care of her for the rest of her life?"

She didn't say this in a blaming tone, but rather with a tone of concern.

Otherwise, Shen Xiunian might have another attack.

Shen Xiunian glanced at her, pondering the meaning of her words, and remembered that his subordinates had also told him not to fight too hard on the battlefield, and that death was not the ultimate meaning of war. If he died, what would happen to the Shen family and his mother?

Liu Fuying probably also wanted to persuade him to pay more attention to his mother.

"She is my mother, how could I not care about her."

It was for his mother's sake that he broke his vow to marry only Jiang Susu in his life and turned around to marry Liu Fuying.

"But I just heard you ask me where I went last night. Did you only remember to look for me for your mother when it was dark?"

"Not at all."

At that time, his mother was ill, and he took a long time to calm her down. Then he went out to the Liu family to look for her immediately, but...

At this point, Shen Xiunian also began his own test.

"Yesterday I was sent to Xiangshan by an imperial decree."

He looked at Liu Fuying, seemingly explaining to her seriously, but in fact he was carefully observing whether there was any abnormality in her expression when she heard Xiangshan and Pei Zhouwu.

"The Queen's brother, Uncle Pei, killed the guards and is suspected of defecting. Your Majesty ordered me to investigate."

But how could he see the abnormality in Liu Fuying's expression?

She had honed her acting skills under Pei Zhouwu, and now her acting skills were perfect, and she remained calm no matter what was said.

"That traitor, is he so bold?"

When she said this, her face showed interest, surprise and some fear.

The only person who didn't want to see Chen Xiunian was guilty.

Sure enough, was it all just him overthinking?

He must have really gone insane, which is why he repeatedly linked Liu Fuying and Pei Zhouwu together.

"He is not a traitor." Shen Xiunian turned his head, feeling relieved, and spoke more gently. "It was the dead guard who was so mean that he seriously injured Uncle Pei and harmed himself. When his body was carried back to the city, someone saw a stick of incense falling from his body. After the news spread, in order to calm public opinion, His Majesty sent me to investigate."

"Incense? A guard using incense on prisoners, this is too horrifying. Who spread the news?"

Shen Xiunian shook his head.

"Almost everyone in the capital was talking about Uncle Pei's story yesterday, and we couldn't find out who spread the news. Anyway, a used incense stick was found in the place where Uncle Pei was imprisoned. This is enough solid evidence."

After hearing this, Liu Fuying finally felt relieved.

She was the one who spread the news, so it's good that she wasn't found.

She is an old hand at spreading news. Why doesn't she use her own name to pass the news on to other people? She is good at it. The bigger the public opinion, the harder it is to find the source.

"So the traitor is indeed innocent."

"Not only innocent, but also pitiful."

Chen Xiunian, who usually doesn't bother to say a word, unexpectedly became talkative in front of Liu Fuying today.

"Thinking back then, General Pei was so majestic and had made so many contributions, but now he has become a prisoner. He is... even more of a pitiful man trapped by love."

Listen, he and Pei Zhouwu are actually sympathizing with each other.

etc.

Pei Zhouwu is trapped by love?

"General, why are you investigating a case or someone else's private affairs?"

Chen Xiunian sighed heavily and said, "What private matters are you investigating? I saw that he didn't forget the wooden hairpin that fell on the ground even when he was sleeping. It must have been given to him by his sweetheart."

Wooden hairpin.

Firefly wood hairpin.

In an instant, Liu Fuying felt something hit his heart.