Chapter 31 Xingkou Pass: Did She Even Abandon Her Child? (Second Update)...

A major event has occurred at Xingkou Pass.

Since that night, it rained for more than half a month in Lingyuan, and Shen Yun's shift time became earlier and earlier every day.

But he never misses a night when he comes home on time.

The weather on Jiuli Mountain was as good as ever.

It's almost early summer now, and the temperature is just right. The roses on the courtyard wall are already in full bloom. Large pink roses hang from the green drooping branches, and when they sway in the sunlight, they are a breathtaking sight.

Lin Shutang didn't know much about Lingyuan, but he heard from farmers living at the foot of the mountain that Lingyuan City had entered the rainy season.

No wonder Shen Yun seems to be getting busier and busier.

The continuous rain in Lingyuan was causing delays in the construction, so a rain shelter was erected.

Everything was proceeding smoothly until, unexpectedly, something unexpected happened that night.

No one expected that the rain would wash away the foundation, and the pine wood used as pillars was easily softened by the water.

The military review platform, which had been under construction for nearly two months, was destroyed without warning.

Leaving aside the amount of manpower and resources spent, how can we explain this situation to the imperial court?

Fang Yue and his group were among the first to arrive because they were located in Lingyuan City.

In just one night, months of hard work were wiped out.

Everyone looked worried and didn't know what to do.

Looking at the mess, some sharp-eyed people noticed that there was a thin layer of grease floating on the surface of the pools of water.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be dripping from rotten pine wood.

After being washed by the rain, the "pine wood" was revealed to be a fake, made of some easily rotten miscellaneous wood coated with a layer of pine oil!

The craftsmen were in an uproar. No wonder this perfectly good wood was so susceptible to moisture; it turned out they were using inferior materials!

Pine wood, with its natural resistance to decay and moderate toughness, is an excellent raw material for building military command platforms.

However, if ordinary woods such as willow and poplar are used, even if it can be built now, it will certainly not be able to withstand the test of time.

With everyone's thoughts in turmoil, the pine wood they had purchased was replaced with miscellaneous wood, yet the ledger clearly recorded the pine wood, and the money given by the imperial court was indeed spent.

And the person in charge of these purchases and negotiating with the merchants is none other than Lord Shen Yun!

These people looked at each other, none of them daring to be the first to step forward.

Even if one is extremely dissatisfied.

These people work hard from dawn till dusk, but they get nothing in return, while those in power take advantage of the chaos and line their own pockets.

Shen Yun was already the heir of the Duke's mansion, enjoying a fief of a thousand households, and was also a general of the guard personally appointed by the emperor. His salary was much higher than that of these people, yet he still had to do this kind of work. It would be impossible for him not to have any complaints.

Song Ying secretly glanced at the crowd, and seeing that the time was right, she stepped out from the crowd, bowed to Fang Yue, and took the lead.

"I believe this matter is of great importance, and I urge Your Excellency to make the decision and send a letter to inquire about the capital's opinion."

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen all agreed and responded enthusiastically.

The Vice Minister of Works gritted his teeth inwardly, somewhat resenting that the Construction Manager had acted on his own initiative and brought trouble to the Ministry of Works.

Prince Shen, is he someone they can afford to offend?!

When Shen Yun arrived at Xingkou Pass, the discussions had subsided considerably, and the way people looked at Shen Yun was quite different from usual.

As usual, Fang Yue stepped forward respectfully, but his usual playful demeanor was now deliberately serious. "This matter is of great importance, and I dare not make decisions on my own, lest I miss the opportunity to deal with the aftermath. I have no choice but to send a letter to the capital to inquire about His Majesty's decree. I hope Lord Shen will not blame me."

Shen Yun had already heard about it on his way here. On the way up the mountain, he saw pine resin flowing down the gullies carved out by the rain. He was well aware of the suspicion and dissatisfaction people had towards him behind his back.

The rain on the mountain shows no signs of abating and even appears to be getting heavier.

In the morning, large swaths of white mist rose from the foothills. In the hazy mist, the people standing on the mountainside stood like ghostly figures sketched with ink, their faces obscured, but their whispers clearly pierced the rain.

Yingxiao stood behind Shen Jun, holding an umbrella for him. The shadow of the umbrella fell on Shen Jun's eyebrows and eyes. He glanced at the people and immediately silenced them.

For a moment, only the pattering of rain remained.

Fang Yue stood in front of Shen Jun, bowing deeply. He believed that his words were watertight. Since such a big mistake had occurred, as an official of Lingyuan, he naturally had to report it to the court for the emperor's decision.

It is reasonable and justifiable from both a public and private perspective.

No matter how autocratic Shen Yun was, he could not be held accountable for this.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yun, who was used to being lawless, showed no intention of giving Fang Yue any face at this moment. "You dare not make a decision on your own?"

He spoke, his voice laced with mockery, as if he were chuckling softly, "Lord Fang, you've sent a letter to the capital quite quickly."

It was a clear and blatant satire of his inappropriate words and actions, and his hypocrisy.

Although Fang Yue was a roughneck, he wasn't stupid. Being humiliated like this was a blow to his pride, and his polite smile immediately froze on his face.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The people below were all indignant, but after being glanced at by Shen Yun and then reprimanded by Fang Yue, they immediately became obedient and didn't dare to utter a sound.

He just kept his head down, his eyes darting around.

Fang Yue's palms were sweating nervously. He swallowed hard and tentatively began, "It was I who overstepped my bounds. I was just worried. So, according to what you said, sir, right now..."

Fang Yue was still carefully choosing his words when he saw the person behind Shen Yun step forward and whisper something in his ear.

Shen Yun's expression immediately turned extremely ugly, even taking on a terrifyingly sinister look. Fang Yue's remaining words were stuck in his throat.

Shen Yun dispatched soldiers to surround the military review platform base, ordering that only craftsmen be allowed to enter and record the damage to the platform in writing and drawings. All other unrelated personnel were to be evacuated.

Others were sent to dredge the ditches, rebuild the tents, and cover them with tarpaulins to prevent further erosion by rainwater, so that the reviewing stand would completely collapse.

After giving these instructions, Shen Yun immediately headed down the mountain.

The crowd was confused, and they all looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"Is the Construction Manager really going to be let go like this?" Fang Yue quietly approached Song Ying amidst the evacuating crowd, asking with some unease.

Song Ying watched the figure gradually disappear into the rain, her hands tucked into her sleeves, and strolled leisurely with the crowd, a slight smile playing on her lips. "What else?"

“Shen Yun has always been arrogant. This time, we’ll teach him a lesson.” Song Ying turned her head and looked at the soldiers busy at the reviewing stand below, a ruthless glint in her eyes.

Does he think these people will listen to him?

Only if he leaves will they have enough time to properly clean up this "accident".

-

After descending the mountain, two figures could be seen kneeling on the ground in the distance.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier, and Yingxi and Luwu were soaked to the bone.

One remained upright, while the other trembled like a leaf.

Through her blurry vision, she saw the white robe, damp with rain, swaying in her eyes. Ignoring the muddy puddles on the ground, Luwu immediately bowed her head and kowtowed.

Trembling and weeping, she recounted everything that had happened since Shen Yun left that day.

The lady seemed to be in a very good mood this morning, saying that she was going down the mountain to buy silver needles and silk thread to make clothes for the young master.

The lady often strolled around Jiuli Mountain, and the young master never stopped her.

Green Willow, without suspicion, went along with them.

But at the market, even though she had been following the lady closely the whole time, a group of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere and separated her from the lady. Once the people were far away, the lady was gone.

Even Yingxi, who was following in the shadows, had her view blocked.

Green Willow searched the entire market but couldn't find her. She thought that Madam had returned to Jiuli Mountain first, but when she returned, her subordinates said that Madam had not returned at all!

Only then did Lvwu realize that something serious had happened, and she quickly sent someone to inform the Crown Prince.

This was clearly arranged by someone beforehand. Green Willow cried and said, "It's my fault for being useless and losing Madam. Someone must be trying to harm Madam and has taken her away. Please, Your Highness, go and rescue Madam quickly."

Only Yingxi knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "It was my dereliction of duty, but my men have already discovered the whereabouts of the lady. Please give me another chance, Your Highness. I will definitely bring the lady back safely."

There was no way the lady could escape from under their noses by herself alone.

This clearly indicates that someone is secretly helping them, and the lady must be aware of it.

Only the silly girl, Green Willow, thought that the lady had been kidnapped.

Shen Yun's expression was very unpleasant. Ever since he heard on the mountain that Lin Shutang had disappeared, a surge of anger had been lingering in his chest.

At this moment, Green Willow's words made him even more angry and upset.

Such a meticulous plan even fooled Yingxi.

Who could take her away if she wanted to leave on her own?

Shen Yun's eyes were filled with terrifying red blood vessels, and the dark blue under his eyes was reflected in the deep and quiet mountain forest like a jumble of damp branches. The veins on his forehead were bulging, and his whole person had a strangely sinister look.

Why? Why leave?

Don't they have a child together? Doesn't she want the child too?

Haven't she been very obedient and well-behaved for the past three years? Why is she like this now?

Shen Yun couldn't understand it.

Why do we still have to leave? Why is it that we absolutely must leave?

Suppressed anger surged within her chest. Hadn't he warned her? If she dared to leave, he'd break her legs. How could she dare!

How could this be...

Shen Yun suppressed a certain extreme thought, her eyes bulging as if about to burst, the red blood vessels in the whites of her eyes almost overflowing.

"Your Highness, I am willing to personally go and bring the Lady back. It would be better for Your Highness to stay at Xingkou Pass, otherwise Fang Yue and the others..." As Shen Yun's personal bodyguard for many years, Ying Xiao understood Shen Yun's feelings better than anyone else at this moment.

He looked at Shen Yun with a worried expression.

With the lady gone, the young master is likely to act impulsively again.

In this situation, Xingkou Pass needs the Crown Prince to take charge and stabilize the people's hearts.

After such rumors spread, people were already dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince were not at Xingkou Pass at this moment, he might be caught in a trap and fall into Fang Yue and his group's scheme, giving them an opportunity to take advantage of him.

If you miss the opportunity, it will truly be too late.

"Send men to immediately seal off all surrounding cities, and check everyone entering and leaving the city gates. Leave no one unchecked at checkpoints and ferry crossings; arrest all suspicious persons." Shen Yun mounted his horse and gave the orders.

"Your Highness, you absolutely mustn't!" Yingxiao's eyes widened in disbelief, and he hurriedly advised.

How could the Crown Prince arbitrarily seal the city gates? If someone reports this to the court, he could be charged with treason!

But Shen Yun had already ridden away at full speed, ignoring his words, so Ying Xiao had no choice but to follow.

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Author's Note: I really didn't expect the last chapter to be banned for so long [crying emoji]

The promised extra chapter is here! Goodnight! [Sprinkling flowers]