Chapter 98 The day after the Winter Solstice, did He Hansheng...

Chapter 98

After Xu Lan left, Shen Suining went back to her room to rest.

Just as Xiangye and Mingke were helping her take off her layers of thick clothes, Shen Fengyu returned.

"What did that slurry vendor say?" After Xiangye and the other person left, Shen Suining poured herself a cup of tea and asked as she drank it.

Shen Fengyu hesitated for a moment, then truthfully said, "I'll let you into the palace."

"Anything else?"

"It's gone."

Shen Suining frowned, put down her teacup and was about to say something when the door to the room was suddenly pushed open and He Hansheng walked in from outside.

Shen Suining was taken aback, then coughed slightly, feeling a little guilty, "Why are you back so early today?"

He Hansheng paused slightly as he took off his coat, then handed it to Jiang Yuchu behind him and said calmly, "I come back at this time every day, but you were sleeping at this time the past few days."

"Is there?"

"Um."

He Hansheng naturally walked over and sat down next to Shen Suining. He took a deep breath, probably noticing the lingering smell of medicine in the room, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Uh...no," Shen Suining subconsciously denied, changing the subject, "Did you notice when you came in just now?"

She raised her chin, gesturing towards the door.

He Hansheng glanced in that direction, chuckled knowingly, and nodded. "I'm very happy. However..."

He reached out and took Shen Suining's right hand in his. Her fingertips still had traces of paint on them. He cupped her hand in his palm and whispered, "You can wait for me next time."

“You’re a very busy person these days, I wouldn’t dare ask you to do something so tedious and time-consuming,” Shen Suining joked. She was a little curious about why He Hansheng had been going to the palace so frequently lately, so her words carried a hint of probing.

He Hansheng noticed this, let out a barely perceptible sigh, and released her hand.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Jiang Yuchu quickly gave Shen Fengyu a meaningful look. Seeing that Shen Fengyu looked worried and seemed reluctant to leave, Jiang Yuchu half-pushed and half-pulled her out of the room.

Only He Hansheng and Shen Suining remained in the room. After a moment of stalemate, He Hansheng broke the silence: "I heard that you met Miss Xu today."

Shen Suining hummed in response, "She came specifically to thank me, so I have no reason not to see her, right?"

“That’s natural,” He Hansheng paused for a moment, then casually remarked, “Actually, after the Winter Solstice Palace Banquet, Miss Xu had already sent her visiting card several times. Since she couldn’t see me, she had her father, Xu Yong, come once and bring some gifts.”

“Ahem,” Shen Suining took a tactical sip of tea, “I appreciate your kind gesture. But it was nothing, no need for such a big fuss.”

The two were like competitors in a fighting arena, testing each other's strengths and weaknesses, each harboring their own secrets that they didn't want the other to know.

This feeling was unpleasant, at least for Shen Suining. She couldn't bear to deliberately hide things from and be wary of someone she should be close to and trust. Moreover, she could clearly sense that He Hansheng was also hiding something from her.

After a moment of silence, Shen Suining decided to confess, but just as she was about to call He Hansheng's name, she saw that He Hansheng had already stood up. She was anxious and stood up as well: "Where are you going?"

"I haven't visited my mother yet since I got back," He Hansheng paused, then extended his hand to her, "Want to come together?"

Shen Suining hesitated before placing her hand in his palm. She was about to go out with him when she remembered that she was dressed in thin clothes and that her left hand was not convenient, so she needed help to get dressed.

"He Hansheng," Shen Suining called his name, looked him straight in the eyes, and asked frankly, "I can't lift my left hand, could you help me get dressed?"

He Hansheng was somewhat surprised, but still replied with an "okay".

The clothes that had just been taken off were neatly folded aside. He Hansheng stepped forward, picked up one of the clothes, and put it on Shen Suining.

At this moment, Shen Suining suddenly asked, "Aren't you going to ask me what happened to my left hand?"

He Hansheng's movements froze for a moment, then he softly hummed in agreement and continued to pull the sleeve of her left hand back on, being extra careful to avoid the injury on her shoulder. "You're injured."

"Yes, I was stabbed and almost died." Shen Suining told him everything. She noticed that He Hansheng's fingers were trembling slightly as he buttoned her clothes, as if he was trying to control something.

A moment later, before Shen Suining could speak again, He Hansheng took a step back and forced a smile, "I'll have Xiangye come and help you."

"He Hansheng." Sensing that he seemed to be deliberately avoiding certain questions, Shen Suining frowned and called out to him, but He Hansheng acted as if he hadn't heard her and hurriedly left the room on his own.

Shen Suining sighed softly, sat back on the bamboo couch, and fell into deep thought.

He Hansheng did not show any surprise or other expected emotion regarding her injury, obviously he already knew about it. Shen Suining was not surprised by this, but his reaction when talking about it made Shen Suining think more about it.

Shen Suining didn't want to delve into how He Hansheng found out about his injury. After all, the city defense troops had patrolled the scene of the fight on the day of the injury, and Luo Jiuxun had sent a letter to He Hansheng informing him of his whereabouts. Given his quick wit, it was only natural that he could guess something.

The city defense troops didn't know where she was injured, and Luo Jiuxun wasn't the type to reveal details of her injuries. So how could He Hansheng know the exact location of his wound and avoid it? Was his restrained and evasive attitude just now because he felt sorry for her, who was halfway to death, or was there some other unknown reason?

Shen Suining didn't want to assume the worst about her partner, but her long experience in the world made her naturally wary and distrustful of everyone around her.

Just as Shen Suining was deep in thought, Xiangye and Shen Fengyu entered, called out "Madam," and asked, "Do you still need to change your clothes?"

Shen Suining looked at Xiangye, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

Shen Fengyu stepped forward to help Shen Suining up, and while cooperating with Xiangye, asked, "I noticed that the young marquis didn't look too good when he went out. Young master, did you two have another fight?"

"What do you mean 'again'?" Shen Suining glanced at her, her expression not much better. She was probably tired from coloring the crabapple blossoms that afternoon, and her left shoulder started to ache again.

Shen Fengyu sighed. Based on her understanding of the young master, she knew that the two of them had probably had another argument.

"Xiangye, I have something to ask you."

After changing her clothes, Shen Suining didn't rush to have Xiangye put a fox fur coat on her. She glanced at the half-closed door, pursed her lips, and looked at Xiangye, saying each word slowly and deliberately: "On the morning after the winter solstice, before dawn, did He Hansheng leave the house?"

This question surprised not only Xiang Ye, but even Shen Fengyu. "Young Master, are you doubting—"

"Shut up," Shen Suining interrupted Shen Fengyu, "Tell me the truth, has he gone out or not?"

Xiangye shook her head and told Shen Suining everything about He Hansheng's movements that morning. He sat on the bed and waited all night, and waited in the courtyard for a long time after dawn, until he finished having breakfast with the princess before going out.

Based on the Princess's usual habits, Shen Suining calculated that He Hansheng left home around 9:00 AM, while it was still dark when she came out of prison.

Thinking about it this way, the man in black who fought her that day could not possibly be He Hansheng. This made Shen Suining breathe a sigh of relief. But then she began to rack her brains. Who else could it be with such skill and that inexplicable sense of familiarity?

Seeing that Shen Suining's brows were almost furrowed into a "川" shape, Xiangye and Shen Fengyu exchanged a glance and gently reminded her, "Isn't Madam going to visit the Princess with the young Marquis? The Marquis has been very busy with official duties lately. If Madam doesn't go soon, I'm afraid the Marquis will have to go out again."

Hearing this, Shen Suining finally snapped out of her reverie, raised her hand and patted her forehead, trying to clear her mind, which had become increasingly sluggish in the past few days.

She put on the fox fur coat, letting Shen Fengyu wrap herself up tightly again, exhaled a puff of white breath towards the door, stepped out of the threshold, and said, "Let's go."

As dusk fell, Shen Suining arrived at the Princess's residence under the cover of night. He Hansheng was sitting in front of her bed, and the mother and son were talking intimately. Under the bright candlelight, He Hansheng's eyes were gentle, and there seemed to be a faint smile on his lips.

He has been busy with official duties these days and has probably had little time to spend with the Princess. Shen Suining stood at the door for a moment and decided not to disturb the mother and son.

Just as Shen Suining was about to leave quietly, the Princess noticed her and called out gently, "Ningning is here. Come in and sit down. It's chilly outside, be careful not to catch a cold."

“Okay.” Shen Suining turned around and replied, took off her fox fur coat and handed it to Xiangye, then went inside and sat down next to He Hansheng.

She saw it clearly: the smile that had been on his face just moments before vanished the instant she entered, as if she were some kind of pest. This annoyed Shen Suining, but she couldn't show it in front of the princess. So, after sitting down, she heavily flicked her sleeve to get He Hansheng's attention and vent her dissatisfaction.

He Hansheng lowered his eyes, his expression unchanged. However, the eldest princess noticed Shen Suining's unusual behavior and looked both of them over, gaining a better understanding of the situation.

She looked at Shen Suining, who was still bundled up tightly even after taking off her fox fur coat, and said with a faint smile, "Ningning seems to be particularly sensitive to the cold lately."

Shen Suining hummed in response, "I guess it's because it's my first time spending the winter in Huadu, so I'm not used to it."

The eldest princess nodded. “The climate in Huadu and Yangzhou is indeed very different. When your mother first came to Huadu, she coughed up blood and it took her a long time to adapt. You must be careful. Drink more warm pear soup to moisten your lungs, and make sure to ventilate the house often to avoid the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors being too great and making you catch a cold.”

As she spoke, the eldest princess looked at He Hansheng and said, "Your health isn't what it used to be this year, so you need to take extra care of yourself."

"Mother is right," He Hansheng replied calmly, his gaze inadvertently falling on the stove beside the bed, where the charcoal fire was burning brightly, with occasional soft crackling sounds.

He thought for a moment, then casually mentioned, "The weather has been dry lately, and I often hear about fires. Not long ago, I heard that the Dali Temple prison also caught fire unexpectedly, causing heavy losses. With such a strong charcoal fire in Mother's house, someone must take good care of it."

The eldest princess looked somewhat puzzled. "The fire at the Dali Temple happened almost half a month ago. I've been asking you about it these past few days, but you've avoided talking about it. Why suddenly..."

He Hansheng did not respond. The princess paused for a moment, glanced at Shen Suining, and roughly guessed what was going on.

She sighed softly to herself and forced a smile. "Since you've brought it up, then I'll ask you: what was the cause of the fire at the Dali Temple that day? Was anyone injured?"

"Lin Ling only said that the jailer on night duty overslept, and by the time he woke up, the fire was already beyond extinguishing, so he could only flee in panic," He Hansheng paused for a moment and continued, "No one was injured, only one prisoner died."

"A prisoner?" The princess feigned ignorance and asked cooperatively, "What kind of prisoner? What crime did they commit?"

He Hansheng said He Bufan's name.

Shen Suining, who was standing nearby, heard this clearly and suddenly looked up at him, her eyes filled with scrutiny and surprise.

The eldest princess sighed, her expression hesitant and complex. “No matter what wrong things he did in his life, he is still your uncle. With the end of the year approaching, and he has no children, as his nephew, you should do your part whenever you have the chance.”

The mother and son worked in perfect harmony, and if Shen Suining still couldn't detect anything amiss, then she would have wasted all her years as the young master of Shuyu Manor and all her time in the martial world.

Half a month ago, around the time of the winter solstice, He Hansheng chose this crucial moment to deal with He Bufan. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Ningning?"

The eldest princess suddenly called her, and Shen Suining snapped out of her reverie, responding with a sound. The princess then took her hand and said earnestly, "The south has been quite turbulent lately, and I'm very uneasy about it. I'm afraid I'll hear His Majesty's message summoning Asheng to the palace. You know, when Jingchuan was still alive, being summoned to the palace at this time always meant bringing back an imperial edict for a campaign. Now that Jingchuan is gone—"

The princess paused, her gaze falling on He Hansheng's face with a hint of sadness, "This heavy responsibility will surely fall on A-Sheng's shoulders."

Shen Suining opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment. She just followed the princess's gaze and looked at He Hansheng.

The word "going to war" carries a heavy weight for both the individual and the nation. Born in a peaceful era, she had only ever seen the tragic scenes of "generals dying in a hundred battles and brave soldiers returning after ten years" in history books. Now, seeing it happening right before her eyes, she felt a mix of indescribable bitterness and emotion.

This emotion stemmed not only from Shen Suining herself, but also from the Princess who held her hand. Perhaps in the past twenty-odd years, there had been countless days and nights when the Princess stayed alone in an empty room, with no news of her loved ones in the distance, their fate unknown. Such suffering was not something everyone could endure.

"Your son is unfilial," He Hansheng said in a low voice, his tone devoid of joy or sorrow. "If that day truly comes, I hope Mother—please do not blame your son for not being by your side."

"Silly child, I'm overjoyed that you care so much for your country, how could I possibly blame you? It's just..."

The eldest princess looked at Shen Suining, sighed softly, and patted the back of Shen Suining's hand without saying a word, suppressing her emotions.

It was already late when the two left the princess's residence.

Jiang Yuchu led the way with a lantern, while He Hansheng and Shen Suining followed in silence, their footsteps barely audible.

When they reached the fork in the road leading to Tamei Garden, and saw that He Hansheng seemed to be heading in another direction, Shen Suining finally couldn't help but call out to him.

“He Hansheng,” Shen Suining stood still, clenching her hands, and asked, word by word, “Why…why did you suddenly kill He Bufan?”