Chapter 46 Chapter 46 There is not a day that I don't think of her

The strange man in front of her looked ferocious and held the back of a knife against her neck, showing hostility towards her. Shuyun felt the pain from the knife. Judging from his clothes, he should be the county lieutenant.

Shu Yun asked, "What do you want to confess? You've got it wrong. I'm not a bad person."

Zhao Mucheng gripped the knife handle tightly, glaring at her. "Those arrested and brought to court all claim to be innocent. They confess everything after a trial."

Zhao Mucheng was adamant, convinced she was the bad guy. Shuyun was speechless. The cold back of a knife pressed against her neck, and she dared not move. "My Lord, you want to take me to court, and you dare ask me what I've done? You're arresting people without any evidence. Is there any law?"

Zhao Mucheng said, "Then let me ask you, where are you from? What are you doing in this county? Show me your past deeds."

Zhao Mucheng slowly sheathed his knife, and Shuyun's neck suddenly felt relaxed. "I'm from Huainan, and I came to Nanzhou to look for my relatives."

Shu Yun didn't want to be found by Xiao Ye, so she could no longer use her original name. Fortunately, Li Ce helped her and gave her a pass in Huainan, so she changed back to her original surname, Shen Yun.

Here, Shuyun went to take the things in the bag and gave them to Zhao Mucheng.

Zhao Mucheng opened the door and took a look. He saw a name, a surname, and an address. He knew the family was wealthy and had a legitimate business. However, he still had doubts. He looked at Shuyun with sharp eyes, almost interrogating her, and asked, "Who are you looking for, young lady?"

"Chen Yanzhi, Lord Shen was demoted to Nanzhou sixteen years ago." Shuyun had already searched a county town but to no avail.

She only learned from Aunt Bai that her father was demoted to Nanzhou, but she didn't know which county or official position he was demoted to.

"Does the county lieutenant have any impression?" Shuyun looked at Zhao Mucheng and asked, her eyes full of anticipation.

Zhao Mucheng had no impression of it. He glanced at the proprietress of the Fuyuan Inn, who shook her head and said, "I've never heard of it."

A constable with a knife rushed over and whispered in Zhao Mucheng's ear, "Boss, good news! The female con man has been caught! Mr. Tong from Dongliu Lane reported that his son was almost swindled out of money. He tied up the female con man and brought her to the county government office. The county magistrate is currently trying the case."

Was the person caught?

So he really made a mistake? Zhao Mucheng glanced at Shuyun and turned to leave the guest room.

The constable followed him downstairs, and Zhao Mucheng instructed his men, "Secretly keep a close eye on the girl in the guest room for this county lieutenant."

In the room, Shu Yun held her pass and looked at the proprietress who had just knocked on the door. The proprietress realized that she had made a mistake and felt very embarrassed. She smiled awkwardly and apologized, "I'm sorry, young lady, I might have made a mistake."

She walked forward and glanced at Shuyun's neck. Her snow-white skin was slightly flushed, and her scallion-white hands were as white and tender as a peeled egg. She was truly a daughter who had been pampered.

The proprietress pulled Shuyun to sit down and handed her the plate of dim sum. "Have some dim sum to calm your nerves."

Shuyun pursed her lips, didn't eat her snack, and poured herself a glass of water.

Zhao Mucheng had truly arrested the wrong person. After a long interrogation, the con woman confessed everything. She had used her beauty to win the sympathy of the wealthy, swindled their money, and then fled overnight, moving between several neighboring counties. After scamming one person, she would flee to another county overnight, then scam another in another county, and then leave again, repeating this cycle.

No wonder Zhao Mucheng couldn’t catch the person and escaped overnight.

Thinking of how he had mistakenly captured the girl from Fuyuan Inn, Zhao Mucheng felt guilty. He knew he had to admit his mistakes and apologize. As a man, he would never bully a woman.

That day, Zhao Mucheng went to Shuyun to apologize.

The man who had drawn his sword on her just a moment ago was now standing outside the room, bowing to her, "Miss Shen, I was reckless today, I'm sorry."

"It's good to clear up the misunderstanding."

Shuyun was not a mean person, so she stopped harping on it. She was used to hearing people call her Miss Yun, but now that she had changed back to her family name, she felt a little complicated.

Zhao Mucheng stood up straight, wearing a light green official robe, with a righteous air. He said, "Let me introduce myself. I am the only county lieutenant in this county, Zhao Mucheng. Of course, I am also a former judicial officer of Nanzhou. I have fought and won battles in the army, and now I have also caught thieves."

Shu Yun took a moment to figure out Zhao Mucheng's identity.

"Miss Shen has come out alone to look for her relatives. If you encounter any difficulties in this county, just come to me. I will do my best to help you."

Zhao Mucheng saw that she didn't even have a bodyguard with her. She was a beautiful girl with a lot of silver on her. Fortunately, she was in his county with good security. If she went somewhere else, she would easily encounter danger.

Zhao Mucheng said: "Miss Shen, this is your first time traveling far away, and you are traveling alone. The world outside is chaotic, so you should hire a bodyguard."

Shu Yun was stunned. She didn't expect him to be so thoughtful, but asking for guards was too ostentatious.

"I heard from County Magistrate Zhao that you were previously a judicial officer in Nanzhou. Could you help me find someone?"

Zhao Mucheng: "The person Miss Shen is looking for? His name is Shen..."

He forgot his name for a moment, and Shuyun wrote on her palm, "Chen Yanzhi. I've never met him. I only know that Lord Shen was demoted from the capital to Nanzhou sixteen years ago, and I don't know his position. Nanzhou is so big, I've been searching for half a month, but there's no news."

"There are so many people here, and it happened seventeen years ago, so it's really hard to find." Zhao Mucheng changed the subject and said, "But I'll take care of it. I'll ask someone. But it's the end of the year, and the government office is busy. I'm afraid I won't be able to reply until mid-January."

Shuyun was grateful, "Thank you, County Captain Zhao."

Zhao Mucheng nodded, said goodbye to Shuyun, and left the inn. He had served as a judicial officer in Nanzhou for two years, so he had some connections. It was not difficult for him to inquire about an official. He immediately wrote a letter to someone to ask.

At the end of December, the New Year atmosphere is in full swing, the streets are full of New Year goods, and a long line of people line up behind a stall to buy Spring Festival couplets.

Spring Festival couplets are written on the spot, but there are only two masters who write them. A pair of couplets is sold the next moment they are finished.

Shuyun's handwriting was pretty good, so she asked the master if he needed help. She wrote a line of words on the spot for the master to look at, and then started writing Spring Festival couplets for the person.

Spring Festival couplets were not expensive, and at the end of the day, Shuyun earned fifty copper coins. Although the money was small, it was earned by Shuyun herself, and she felt very satisfied.

It was a sunny day on New Year's Eve. There were lights and decorations everywhere, and firecrackers were ringing non-stop. Peddler carried his loads through the streets, and children ran around holding sugar figurines.

Shuyun has been in Nanzhou for a month and has never seen snow. She actually misses the days of playing in the snow in the capital.

Later that night, Zhao Mucheng came to see Shuyun. He felt sorry for her, seeing her alone on New Year's Eve in a foreign land, so he invited her to have dinner with him. "To be honest, I'm an orphan. Except for a few years ago when I was with the soldiers in the barracks, I've been alone during the holidays ever since."

"But I have a sworn brother. He is very powerful. With just one horse and one gun, he can defeat the enemy." Zhao Mucheng's eyes lit up when he mentioned it.

Shuyun felt depressed, "I also have a brother, he..."

She wanted to say something but stopped herself. He was a bit mean and terribly paranoid. He always blocked her way and forced her to bow her head.

He must be looking for her like crazy now.

"Let's not talk about him anymore." Shuyun took a bite of the food.

As the night grows darker, the streets become crowded with people, and there are dragon and lion dances, fire performances, and a festive and lively atmosphere.

Because there were so many people around, Shuyun was bumped into and her purse was stolen. Fortunately, Zhao Muchen was there and helped her get the things back.

Zhao Mucheng handed the purse to Shuyun and said, "Miss Chen, can you tell me how much money you have?"

Shuyun counted the money and put it in her sleeve. "It's not missing at all. Thank you, County Lieutenant Zhao."

Zhao Mucheng waved his hand and said it was just a small matter.

Shuyun was leaving the capital for the first time to celebrate the New Year, and she inevitably felt lost. Fortunately, Zhao Mucheng took her for a walk on the street and introduced her to the customs and culture of Nanzhou. Shuyun listened with great interest and bought a sugar painting of a little rabbit at the sugar painting stall, feeling very happy.

Nanzhou is good, but Shuyun can't get used to the food here. Zhao Mucheng just listened to her casual remark and borrowed the kitchen of Fuyuan Inn a few days later to make two dishes that she often ate in the mansion.

The food is delicious, even better than the food cooked by the chef in the inn.

"I didn't expect County Magistrate Zhao's cooking skills to be so good. The food is delicious." Shuyun praised and ate an extra bowl of rice.

Seeing Shuyun enjoying her meal, Zhao Mucheng felt happy too. Such a beautiful girl, he really wanted to cook for her for the rest of his life.

Zhao Mucheng was an orphan who joined the army at a young age, serving as a cook for several years before meeting his sworn brother and following him through battles, ultimately achieving his current success. However, his reckless behavior and inability to manage people led him to be demoted from a judicial officer to a mere county lieutenant.

He and his sworn brother hadn't written to each other for a year or two, and he didn't know how his sworn brother was doing in Beijing, or whether the revenge had been taken.

…

The heavy snow fell, and the plum blossoms in the mansion were in full bloom, a bright red against the white snow.

The Marquis' Mansion had a new owner. After taking care of Marquis Anlu's funeral, Xiao Ye moved back to the Marquis' Mansion from the villa and continued to live with Yan Fu.

Xiao Ye sat in the bedroom of Hengwu Garden for a long time. The maids cleaned Hengwu Garden every day, and the house was spotless, but the only thing missing was the hostess who lived there.

Xiao Ye clutched the handkerchief that Shu Yun had once used, as if she were still by his side. He closed his eyes and slowly placed the handkerchief over his face, sniffing its fragrance. He tilted his head back slightly, his protruding Adam's apple sliding slowly down.

After more than two months, there was still no news of Shuyun. After arriving in Huainan, she seemed to have disappeared out of thin air.

The scent of the clothes she left behind was fading.

Sometimes he missed her so much that he would hug her clothes and sleep at night.

Xiao Ye would go to her bedroom to sit for a while every day. When he returned to Yanfu Residence, Fufeng had been waiting for a long time.

"How is it? Is there any news about her?" Xiao Ye stood by the window, his dark eyes like a dead pool.

"It's not Miss Yun, it's the King of Huainan." Fu Feng and his companions lost Shu Yun, but discovered something important in Huainan and hurried back to report, "My Lord, the King of Huainan seems to be plotting a rebellion."

…

The river was shrouded in fog, and it was all white and unclear. Shuyun was in the fog, and the sounds of horse hooves, weapons and fighting came to her ears, as if she had entered a battlefield.

She walked forward anxiously and confusedly when a horse suddenly came into her sight. On its back was a wounded general, face down, slumped over the horse. His hanging hands were covered in blood, and he seemed to have been seriously injured and was dying.

For some reason, Shuyun saw Xiao Ye. The man was dying. The enemy troops behind him caught up and surrounded Xiao Ye, pointing bloody spears at him. Xiao Ye stood up despite the pain. He had no weapon, so he clamped the spear with his arms and held the enemy in a stalemate.

A sharp spear suddenly pierced his back, Xiao Ye was caught off guard and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Sharp arrows rained down on Xiao Ye from afar.

"Brother! No, brother!"

Shuyun sat up suddenly, waking up from a nightmare, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.