Chapter 34 What Happened in the Car: You Forced Me to Give Birth to This Child...

She was always crying, and her tears were always very effective.

She knew all too well that he would soften if she acted like this.

So they made the same mistake again and again.

Shen Yun didn't want to be led by the nose like this anymore. If you do something wrong, you should pay the price.

His large hand covered hers, and he ripped open Lin Shutang's collar, revealing large patches of snow-white skin along her shoulders and neck, covered with a terrifying array of red marks.

Lin Shutang looked at him in shock, her breath caught in her throat, but then she seemed to resign herself to her fate and let it fall back down.

Yes, no matter how unwilling they are, they will still be brought back.

No matter how scared you are, it won't change anything.

Shen Yun only ever hurt her in this way.

Every time she tried to escape and was caught, Shen Jun never let her off easily. Every time, he would... vent his anger on her.

Lin Shutang stopped struggling and let Shen Yun remove all her clothes, leaving her completely naked.

The cool air touched her body, and before she could even shiver, Shen Yun wrapped her in a thin blanket, picked her up, and placed her in the soft seat.

Lin Shutang looked at him in surprise. Shen Yun squatted down in front of her and took out a new dress from a chest next to him.

Lin Shutang has fair skin, and light-colored clothes best accentuate her refined and otherworldly气质 (qi zhi - a kind of refined and elegant demeanor). But Shen Yun still prefers to see her in slightly brighter colors, as if she were still alive.

Shen Yun helped her put on the innermost lotus-colored strapless top. His expression was focused, and his gaze on her was devoid of any desire, as if he were carefully polishing some precious artifact.

Until the very end, until the crimson sash was tied around her waist, Shen Yun remained very proper and did not utter a single word.

Lin Shutang stared at him blankly, somewhat puzzled by Shen Yun's actions.

She didn't think Shen Yun was being soft-hearted; rather, she thought he was secretly plotting something bad.

Lin Shutang suddenly lost the strength to guess, struggle, or probe. She stared at him coldly and spoke, her voice weary, "What exactly do you want?"

If you're going to have to grind meat with a dull knife, you might as well give her a quick death.

Shen Yun tied a pretty knot around her waist, then looked up at her. "The fabric was rough, it chafed your skin raw. Does it hurt?"

His hand slid down and touched her ankle, which was swollen high. Shen Yun took her ankle and made her step on his knee.

With practiced, slow kneading, she asked, "Even after making yourself look like this, you still want to leave?"

He had just intended to punish her, but seeing her injuries and her tearful eyes, he suddenly couldn't bear it anymore. Things couldn't get any worse between them.

Shen Yun's voice was so soft that it was unclear who she was asking, as if it could dissipate in the wind at any moment.

Lin Shutang looked at his lowered eyelids, his eyelashes covering his lower eyelids, casting dark blue shadows.

She recalled the bloodshot eyes in his eyes just now, as if he hadn't slept well for days and nights.

Why bother?

"When did you find out?" Lin Shutang recalled the strange things Shen Yun had said to her on those nights.

Only now did I realize that he had known all along that he had his own plans, yet he still had to play along with her for so long.

A wave of mockery and helplessness rose in my heart.

Shen Yun did not answer her, but continued to massage Lin Shutang's ankle to promote blood circulation and relieve her pain.

And yet again, he remains indifferent, aloof and in control of everything.

Lin Shutang sneered and moved his foot to pull it back, but Shen Yun pressed it down even tighter.

Unable to vent her anger, Lin Shutang suddenly became unrestrained and said, "Let me tell you, Shen Yun, I will never give up on leaving you! In this life, I can never like you, and I can never willingly stay by your side! Forget about it!"

Lin Shutang vented his emotions without restraint, and when he felt the rubbing motion on his ankle pause, an indescribable sense of relief rose in his heart.

Yes, she knows best where to stab.

He wants to imprison her, and she'll be miserable. Why should she give him a friendly attitude?

Shen Yun continued what he was doing, not even daring to look up at her. His voice was muffled and tight, "I've been looking for you all day. You must be tired too, right?"

It felt like punching cotton, utterly powerless.

Lin Shutang's eyes were red, and after shouting at the top of her lungs, her voice became hoarse, almost filled with despair, "Chen Jun, what do you want from me to let me go?"

"It's impossible." That was Shen Yun's soft yet firm voice in response.

“We have a child together, don’t we?” he pleaded, hoping for an answer.

Lin Shutang suddenly laughed, "A child?"

"You forced me to give birth to this child. To me, he is just a lump of rotten flesh and a festering sore that fell from my body. I can't possibly want him, and I can't possibly keep him because of him!" Lin Shutang's words were crazy and cruel, each word like a sharp blade piercing Shen Yun's chest, causing it to bleed profusely.

Shen Yun's chest trembled as he tried his best to suppress a certain impulse and forcefully held back his breath.

He finally looked up, his eyes ruddy with redness, and used his large hand to cup the back of Lin Shutang's head, forcing her to bend down. "Is that so?"

A smile curved his lips. "Then you can keep running and see how far you can run next time?"

The tone was curious, as if they were talking about something extremely interesting.

It was as if there was always time to waste with her.

Lin Shutang felt a chill in her heart, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads as she glared hatefully at the person in front of her.

Madman! Demon!

How could she have gotten involved with someone like that?

Shen Yun wiped away her tears, sat up, pressed her face against his shoulder and neck, and let her tears soak his collar.

Lin Shutang, who had been silently shedding tears, suddenly burst into tears.

Shen Yun's scent reached her nose, and the skin on his neck was burning hot as it brushed against her ear.

Lin Shutang moved closer to that warmth with a touch of longing, turned her head and nestled into his neck, opening her mouth to bite down.

"I hate you." Her eyes were red from crying, and her voice was hoarse.

Shen Yun gave a soft "hmm" and patted her back to help her catch her breath.

Only Lin Shutang's muffled sobs echoed around Shen Jun's neck, lingering in Shen Jun's chest and accumulating into an unbearable bitterness.

After a long time, the sound subsided.

Shen Yun settled Lin Shutang in the soft seat and covered her with a thin blanket.

"I accept this fate, even if it's a tragic one. Lin Shutang, you have to accept it too." He lowered his eyes to stare at her sleeping face, brushing the stray hairs from her cheek. He turned and walked out of the carriage.

"Your Highness!"

As soon as Shen Yun stepped out of the carriage, he couldn't stop coughing.

Yingxiao quickly called out and went to help Chen Yun, but when she grabbed his hand, she found it was burning hot.

The Crown Prince had been working tirelessly for days on the matter of the military review platform, and today he traveled all day in the rain to find his wife. Now his body can't take it anymore, and he has developed a high fever.

"It's nothing. Let's hurry back to the manor." Shen Yun sat down on the carriage and looked ahead into the thick, endless darkness.

There's no need to return to Jiuli Mountain; tomorrow the Emperor will surely summon him to court for the matter of the military review platform.

-

When Lin Shutang woke up the next day, he was already inside Jingyuan Residence.

Green Willow knelt on the ground waiting for her to wake up. Lin Shutang felt a little guilty when he saw Green Willow.

"Shen Yun didn't make things difficult for you, did she?" Lin Shutang helped her up.

Green Willow shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Madam, I'm so glad you're alright. It's all my fault for being useless and failing to protect you. Thankfully, the young master found you."

"Where did these bandits come from? They're utterly lawless, daring to even rob the Crown Prince's wife!" Green Willow was furious, her face turning red and her neck thick with anger.

Lin Shutang never expected that, in Lvwu's eyes, it was actually her who had encountered misfortune.

Surprisingly, Shen Yun did not punish her for failing to protect her master, which was quite rare.

"Don't cry, I'm fine now, aren't I?" Lin Shutang comforted her, feeling relieved herself.

As long as no innocent people suffer because of her, she can live with herself.

"Where is Shen Yun?" she asked again.

"The young master went to court early this morning," Green Willow replied truthfully.

"The young master instructed me to pack up the things on Mount Jiuli yesterday. Madam, rest assured, I brought back everything without missing anything."

Lin Shutang nodded, somewhat absentmindedly.

I glanced blankly around the dormitory, and it felt like I was back to square one...

Inside Hanyuan Hall, all was silent as a cicada in winter.

The emperor sat at the head of the table, turning page after page of the reports submitted by the garrison commanders of various cities in the capital region.

Yan Shenyun, arrogant due to his military achievements, arbitrarily blocked the city gates, mobilized troops for his own selfish purposes, and disrupted the lives of ordinary people.

The officials in charge of building the military review platform also submitted reports. Shen Yun was about to become an official. Regardless of whether he was involved in embezzlement, he should be held responsible for the incident at the military review platform. However, instead of reflecting on his own mistakes, taking charge of the overall situation, and handling the matter properly, he abandoned his post and disrupted the defense and security of several cities.

Such reckless and arbitrary behavior, disregarding national laws, constitutes multiple crimes and Shen Yun should be severely punished.

The emperor put down the memorial, looked up at the group of people in the hall, and his gaze fell on Shen Yun. "Shen Qing, do you have something to say?"

"Your Majesty, since the beginning of this dynasty, the anti-procurement process has followed a 'triple verification' system. Before procurement, the qualifications of the timber merchant must be verified; after delivery, the quality of the timber must be verified; and after warehousing, the matching and registration must be verified. Now that the pine wood is being passed off as genuine, can I also use the same reasoning to suspect Minister Zhang and Minister Sun, who signed this procedure document with me?"

"Lord Shen, don't talk nonsense! Everyone knows that the carpenter was discussing this with you. This matter has nothing to do with me!" Lord Zhang, who was called out by name, was so frightened that his official hat tilted to one side and he lost his composure.

After realizing what had happened, he immediately knelt in the main hall, crying out that he was innocent and begging His Majesty for a judgment.

Surprisingly, Lord Sun, who was standing to the side, remained calm.

"After the incident, I knew I had committed the crime of negligence. Fearing irreparable consequences, I had no choice but to act expediently, seal the city gates, mobilize troops, and do everything in my power to capture the timber merchant who had fled with his family," Shen Yun reported.

As soon as he finished speaking, the guards outside dragged in a merchant dressed in a brocade robe but with disheveled hair and threw him on the ground.

The merchant's face was covered in cuts and bruises, clearly from the frantic escape he made while fleeing in all directions.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! Yes, someone forced me to do this." The merchant, ignoring his injuries from being thrown to the ground, hurriedly got up and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Who is it?" the emperor asked, his voice carrying an imposing authority.

"It was Lord Shen Yun!" The timber merchant pointed at Shen Yun. "Lord Shen forced me to do this. I even gave him five thousand taels of silver, but who knew that after the matter was exposed, he would try to kill me to silence me!"

The entire court was in uproar.

“It’s all recorded in the account books of my humble residence. Lord Shen must also have a copy of the same rubbing in his residence. As long as His Majesty sends someone to check, the truth will be clear!”