Chapter 18 Reunion Feast Helps You Leave Shen Yun

"Good, good, Yan'er is back. Give the order that our Duke's Mansion will have a reunion dinner tonight." The old lady patted Shen Xiuyan's hand as she spoke.

"Yes, Grandmother. Yan'er will go back and change his clothes first, then go to the palace to report to the Emperor and return to keep you company," Shen Xiuyan said respectfully.

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty is kind. You should go to the palace. Don't delay." Upon hearing this, the old lady's face turned serious. She nodded and urged him to go quickly.

After Shen Xiuyan finally left, the atmosphere in the hall became even more lively than before.

"I think the eldest son is even more handsome than when he left this year, and his features are even more similar to those of the Duke." Third Madam Chen couldn't help but speak up again, looking at Xu Rongyi with a smile in her eyes, deliberately trying to disgust her.

Xu Rongyi pretended not to see it, but her face turned pale with anger.

“The eldest young master must have suffered a lot these years away from home; he looks much darker.” One of the concubines from the second branch of the family spoke up. “The sharp and heroic air he exudes as he walks by is just like that of the Duke back then.”

"Yan'er is Jing Shi's child, doesn't she look just like him?" The old lady, with Lin Shutang's help, returned to her seat and smiled as she held her cane.

"I actually have an older brother, so do I have a sister-in-law?" Seventh Young Master Shen Mingwei, held in the arms of Third Madam, raised his little face and asked.

The child's voice was ethereal and clear, standing out exceptionally well amidst the room full of female voices, and every word reached everyone's ears perfectly.

After a few moments of silence, the audience burst into laughter again.

The old lady teased the seventh young master, raising her chin slightly, "Does our Mingwei want a sister-in-law?"

Shen Mingwei blinked, not quite understanding the meaning of the sentence, but after glancing at Lin Shutang, she muttered, "I want it."

"I want a sister-in-law as beautiful as my second sister-in-law."

Lin Shutang blushed instantly, her face turning red to the roots of her neck.

Amidst the teasing of the crowd, the old lady turned her head to look at Lin Shutang, and became more and more satisfied with her. "Then let your second sister-in-law help you find a beautiful sister-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shutang quickly looked up at the old lady, somewhat surprised.

Entrusting the eldest son's marriage to her upon his return seems a bit too much...

"Shutang, now that you are learning to manage the household, you will inevitably have to deal with the interactions with aristocratic families and banquets. In the meantime, you must keep a close eye on Yan'er."

The old lady knew what she was thinking, patted her hand and said, "Just do it with peace of mind, Rongyi will help you too."

Xu Rongyi forced a smile.

Lin Shutang's mind was in turmoil. The old lady's words meant that she was allowed to leave the manor and represent the Duke's manor to establish friendly relations with other families.

In this way, her actions would not be restricted by Shen Yun, and she would be more free.

"Granddaughter-in-law understands." Lin Shutang replied, curtsying to the old lady and Xu Rongyi. "Thank you, Grandmother, thank you, Mother."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in the old lady's eyes, and she nodded with a smile.

After all these years, Shu Tang has finally figured it out.

Recalling the situation in Shenyun Courtyard over the years, the old lady lowered her eyelids and couldn't help but sigh.

She ordered everyone in the rooms to go back, leaving only Lin Shutang behind.

"Shutang, since you are willing to live a good life with Yun'er, then I will say one more thing. As a wife, you should consider your husband; as a matriarch, you should consider the Shen family. Now that you have learned to manage the household, you can no longer indulge in personal feelings. You must consider the Shen family's offspring. Do you understand?"

Now that no one was around, the old lady stopped hiding her true feelings and stared at Lin Shutang with a glint of light in her cloudy eyes.

Lin Shutang lowered her eyes and pondered the old lady's words for a moment, then looked up again and asked uncertainly, "Grandmother means that I should take a concubine for the heir?"

...

There was a lot going on at the Imperial Training Ground today, so he called people back early, saying that their shift would end late.

Lin Shutang then went to the dining hall to wait by himself.

In early spring, darkness still falls early, but by the time of Xu (7-9 PM), night has already descended.

All the stone lanterns in the Duke's mansion were lit, and the glass lanterns hanging in the corridors were dazzling, their candlelight shimmering in the wind.

As Lin Shutang turned through the moon gate and entered a banana grove, the light suddenly dimmed, and the shadows of the artificial pavilion in the distance flickered in, casting a pale light that made the dense banana trees look like ghostly figures.

When did the lights here go out?

It was already late before the banquet started, and Lin Shutang was too lazy to take a longer route, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue walking.

Lin Shutang has never liked having people around her. There are already quite a few eyes watching her from the shadows, and she doesn't want any more eyes watching her openly.

Walking alone on this quiet path, Lin Shutang lowered her eyes and quickened her pace.

After turning past a grove of banana trees, a figure was seen walking towards them in the distance.

Shen Xiuyan?

Lin Shutang immediately made a plan, intending to pretend he hadn't seen him and stride past him, so that he could leave him behind after turning left.

Unexpectedly, Shen Xiuyan's pace suddenly quickened, and he caught up with Lin Shutang in a few steps, walking alongside her.

"What a coincidence," he whispered in his ear.

Lin Shutang could no longer pretend he hadn't seen it.

She stopped and politely greeted, "Young Master."

"I didn't expect that you would still be by Shen Jun's side." Shen Xiuyan was completely different from his demeanor at Heyuan earlier today. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and looked down at Lin Shutang with a slightly appraising expression.

Lin Shutang looked up and met his undisguised gaze, somewhat surprised that he had broken the surface peace by speaking first.

I thought he would pretend to have forgotten that memory.

Lin Shutang sneered, no longer pretending, "Isn't this all thanks to you?"

"Is my sister-in-law blaming me?"

His tone was somewhat flippant, perhaps because he had torn off that mask. He no longer addressed her as warmly and politely as he had when they met at the Crane Garden earlier that day, calling her "Lady of the Heir Apparent."

“There was nothing I could do. My second brother locked down the entire city to find you back then; you couldn’t have escaped.” He said with a hint of regret.

"So you just went with the flow? You used me to do Shen Yun a favor?" Lin Shutang scoffed.

She didn't know this person at the time; he just appeared to be a gentleman and showed great sympathy for her plight, promising to help her escape the clutches of evil.

She actually thought he was a cynical person.

But who could have imagined that his sweet words and treacherous heart would deliver him directly to Shen Yun's doorstep?

Shen Xiuyan wasn't angry at Lin Shutang's undisguised contempt. Instead, he smiled helplessly and said, "Give me a chance?"

"What?"

Shen Xiuyan stepped forward. "I'll help you one more time."

He lowered his head and whispered in Lin Shutang's left ear, his voice almost seductive, "I'll help you leave Shen Yun."

Lin Shutang turned her head to look at him.

The two were very close, and Lin Shutang did not miss the ruthless determination that flashed in his eyes.

Help her leave Shen Yun?

Lin Shutang experienced far too much that day.

Over the past five years, she had tried to escape from Shen Yun more than once, but with her meager strength, she was no different from a bird; no matter how hard she struggled, she could not fly away from Shen Yun's grasp.

Now, she is trying to accept it.

But fate once again presented her with a test, extending one olive branch after another.

Lin Shutang began to find it somewhat absurd.

What are you doing?

Suddenly, a deep, cold voice came from behind.

In the quiet, cold night, the rustling sound of swaying banana leaves underfoot was like a haunting ghost seeking death.

Lin Shutang instinctively stiffened at the back of his spine and turned his head to look. Shen Yun was standing in front of a huge clump of banana trees.

The shadows enveloped his entire body, with only a sliver of eerie fire in the artificial pavilion high above flickering on his cheek, only to be shattered by his sharp, defined features.

His expression was obscure and difficult to understand.

"Second brother, how have you been?" Shen Xiuyan straightened up and greeted Shen Yun.

There was no embarrassment at being caught, and her demeanor remained as composed and proper as ever.

Lin Shutang's breath caught in her throat as she watched him walk towards her, unconsciously clenching her fists.

"You're back." Lin Shutang tried to force a smile and spoke in a steady voice.

Shen Yun's gaze fell on her face, and he raised his hand to gently brush Lin Shutang's left cheek, as if brushing away some dregs.

He grasped Lin Shutang's palm with his other hand before turning to look at Shen Xiuyan. "I remember, Xuanyou Garden doesn't go this way."

Shen Xiuyan's expression froze for a moment. He felt a little uncomfortable under Shen Yun's gaze. He turned his eyes away and was about to speak when Shen Yun had already led Lin Shutang away.

"Brother, your eyesight isn't good, so you should stay home more in the evenings."

Shen Xiuyan, "..."

-

At tonight's dinner, everyone at the long table had a smile on their face, and the atmosphere was lively with toasts and drinks.

Lin Shutang didn't know what others were feeling, but she herself was restless and uneasy.

It goes without saying that Shen Xiuyan's purpose in returning this time was to target Shen Jun.

Throughout the gathering, the conversation was constantly steered towards Shen Yun.

They might probe the current political situation in the court, or test Shen Yun's connections, inquire about his views on the advantages and disadvantages of current affairs, and explore his thoughts and intentions.

Shen Yun ignored him.

He then shifted the topic back to Lin Shutang.

It was a pity that she could only attend the wedding ceremony in a hurry. She was curious about the reason why the two had become husband and wife, and also mentioned that she had prepared a small gift to bring joy to her young child. In the end, under Shen Jun's cool gaze, she felt that she was not interesting and kept quiet.

Having finally endured the family dinner, on the way back, when Lin Shutang was alone with Shen Yun, she wished she could quickly hide back at the family dinner.

Shen Yun held Lin Shutang's hand tightly.

Lin Shutang tried to break free but couldn't, and he couldn't keep up with Shen Yun's pace.

His aura was extremely cold and heavy, as if he was suppressing something.

Lin Shutang belatedly realized that Shen Yun was probably going to settle scores with her for what she had just done.

She swallowed hard, then quickly jogged a few steps forward to stand beside Shen Yun. "We just happened to run into each other."

She stared at Shen Yun's profile.

"We did nothing."

Shen Yun remained silent, still holding onto Lin Shutang's hand tightly.

I don't know what's wrong with them.

"Shen Jun." Lin Shutang was also getting angry and called his name in a deep voice.

What, is it that she can't even say a few words to other men?

There isn't a single good person among those surnamed Shen.

If she doesn't like Shen Yun, does that mean she could possibly be interested in Shen Xiuyan?

Lin Shutang has always had a bit of a temper, and now he's even more frustrated because Shen Yun is keeping him in suspense.

Just as she was about to lash out, Shen Jun unexpectedly grabbed her and pulled her into a nearby artificial cave.

He pressed her against the mountain wall.

A note from the author:

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As I said, Prince Shen looked like he was about to be raided for prostitution the moment he appeared. [doge emoji with rose in hand]