Chapter 44 Zhu Hongqi returned bleeding all the way.

After seeing Shen Zhixi off, Zhao Mingzhu's visiting card was presented.

Lin Shutang did not find it difficult to handle. After the gate of Jingyuan Residence was opened, each household sent a lot of tonics and sent people to check on things.

However, almost all of them were blocked by Shen Jun.

Therefore, Lin Shutang's recovery period was relatively leisurely.

As Shen Yun said, once she was let out, her heart became wild.

Before, when I stayed in Jingyuan Residence, I didn't find the days unbearable, but now that I've been away from the residence for a while, it's hard for me to stay still.

Upon hearing that Zhao Mingzhu had come looking for her, Lin Shutang was overjoyed and immediately sent someone to invite her in.

Right now, it's the height of summer.

The air was filled with distinct, undulating heat waves, and everywhere you looked, the bright sunlight was dazzling, making you dizzy.

Upon entering Jingyuan Residence, a refreshing coolness immediately greets you. The courtyard is filled with flowering trees, their branches and leaves lush and verdant, blocking out large swathes of glaring sunlight. Only a thin layer of light filters through the green leaves, bright yet not scorching.

As the branches swayed, golden dust drifted onto people's faces, along with the faint fragrance of flowers carried on the wind.

In an instant, it suppressed the restlessness and depression in people's hearts.

Zhao Mingzhu walked through the courtyard with the maid who led the way. Along the cobblestone path, there were several waist-high water vats, and lotus flowers were blooming gracefully, their leaves smooth and spreading out.

As Zhao Mingzhu walked in, she casually glanced down and was surprised to find several goldfish playing on the water's surface.

The patterns all over it are incredibly beautiful.

Lin Shutang stood at the door to greet her, fanned her gently with his hand, and went into the room with her, instructing someone to quickly add more ice.

“The summer heat came earlier than last year.” Zhao Mingzhu dabbed some fine sweat from her cheeks with the back of her hand, sat down at the other end of the wisteria woven couch, and smiled at Lin Shutang. “However, Jingyuan Residence is quite comfortable and pleasant.”

"I was worried about your injuries, but I never imagined you were living a life like a god."

Lin Shutang smiled and poured her some tea, adding jokingly, "Yes, I made Zhao Niangzi worry for so long for nothing. It's really my fault."

"Isn't this too much for me, Your Highness's wife?" Zhao Mingzhu tilted her head slightly and said coquettishly.

After drinking the herbal tea mixed by Lin Shutang, the thirst in his throat was relieved a little.

"But to be honest, you really scared me that day." Zhao Mingzhu put down her teacup and became serious.

He was about to get up and go behind Lin Shutang to check her injuries himself.

Even now, looking back, Zhao Mingzhu still feels lingering fear. If the two of them hadn't been cautious that day, and if she hadn't led people to search, she doesn't even dare to imagine what would have happened next.

Lin Shutang was someone she had brought out, and he went out unharmed, but he came back bleeding all the way.

Not to mention the Duke's mansion, even Shen Yun could tear her apart.

Logically, she should have visited him the next day, but to her surprise, Shen Yun refused to see anyone.

Not to mention her, even people from the Duke's mansion were not allowed to enter, and the mansion's physician was even staying in Jingyuan Residence.

With such tight security, as if afraid of even a fly getting in, Zhao Mingzhu was panicked. She couldn't get any information, let alone figure out what Shen Yun meant.

Ji Huaiyi simply told her to calm down and wait, and not to go in front of Shen Yun and provoke him.

Lin Shutang was injured, and if she went to the Duke's mansion now, she would not only cause trouble, but also get scolded.

Others may not understand, but Ji Huaiyi knows how petty Shen Yun is about Lin Shutang.

Lin Shutang almost lost his life this time, so Shen Yun will definitely not take it lightly.

Zhao Mingzhu had no choice but to be patient, but little did she know that this wait would last for nearly two months.

Lin Shutang quickly pressed her down to sit down. Why were they all so eager to check her wounds as soon as they arrived?

She smiled helplessly, "It's been so long, it's long healed. Madam Zhou even sent some scar-reducing cream, you probably wouldn't even be able to find the wound on my back if you came to look."

"That's good." Zhao Mingzhu nodded seriously, a huge weight lifted off her chest.

She held her cup and continued drinking tea. "I don't know why that assassin wanted to kill you, Auntie. To this day, the Third Prince still hasn't found him."

Zhao Mingzhu shook her head. "It seems that I'll need to bring some martial arts practitioners with me when I go out to banquets in the future."

“Yes.” Hearing Zhao Mingzhu say this, Lin Shutang was also a little puzzled. Madam Zhou was just a lady of the inner quarters. Her husband and son had both died for the country. Who was it that would not even spare a widow?

"I heard that Madam Zhou left Yujing. Is it because of this?"

“I’m not quite sure about that.” Zhao Mingzhu shook her head. “My aunt didn’t tell anyone when she left. She just sent a message, and we only found out after she left.”

"Now that the assassin has disappeared, it is indeed safer for Aunt to return to her hometown of Pingwan, as she is all alone in Yujing."

"But Ji Huaiyi is really determined to find that assassin. He's been working day and night for a while now, showing no signs of giving up." Zhao Mingzhu shook her head and sighed softly as she thought of her husband.

“Madam Zhou is his aunt, so naturally he cares about her.” Lin Shutang rarely spoke well of Ji Huaiyi. “This shows that Lord Ji is a kind and righteous person.”

Lin Shutang smiled with narrowed eyes. He was indeed a person of great affection and loyalty. Otherwise, he would not have ignored Shen Yun's actions of forcing a respectable woman and helped him win her back several times.

Lin Shutang stared at the woman in front of him, who seemed lost in longing, and shook his head slightly, letting out a barely audible sigh.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingzhu's eyes suddenly turned melancholy. She looked up and gazed outside. "Yes, it's almost General Zhou's death anniversary."

At this time of year, they would visit Madam Zhou at the Zhou residence.

But Madam Zhou never saw them.

So every year around this time, Ji Huaiyi would wait until Madam Zhou left before taking a bottle of wine to the Zhou family's cemetery to pay his respects.

Ji Huaiyi wouldn't let her come along; the mountain path was difficult to walk, especially since it rained several times on the anniversary of Zhou Ziyang's death.

After returning, Ji Huaiyi's mood would be gloomy for several days.

Zhao Mingzhu suddenly didn't want to argue with him anymore.

-

Shen Yun had never been to the Zhou family mausoleum.

In five years, he never paid respects to Zhou Ziyang.

Madam Zhou regarded him as a venomous scorpion and avoided him at all costs.

If I were to encounter it, I would wish I could devour its flesh and drink its blood.

Shen Yun himself didn't know how to face it. Just like now, he was standing in front of Zhou Ziyang's grave for the first time. The brick mound only reached his knees.

The man who once chatted and laughed with him, riding across the battlefield, now lies silently underground.

The cold rain slid down the inscription on the tombstone, and all around was silent. For the first time in his life, Shen Yun felt lost and disoriented.

Yes, what is he here for?

Just as Madam Zhou once said, there was no need for his feigned goodwill, nor did she want him to step into the Zhou family cemetery, lest he disturb the peace of the departed souls.

The sacrifice was merely a show for the living, and she had long known of Shen Yun's despicable nature.

After downing a glass of wine, Shen Yun turned and left the cemetery.

When Ji Huaiyi arrived, he saw the offerings placed in front of the tomb, and tiny weeds growing in the cracks of the stone bricks, which were stained with deep marks, bent over by the wine.

Ji Huaiyi looked back and saw mountains and forests all around, with tombs standing silently...

The armor was cold and hard, its surface stained with blood accumulated over the years, turning it a mottled black. The chilling aura emanating from it carried the biting cold of the north wind on the battlefield.

Shen Yun stood in front of the armor rack, using a soft cloth soaked in water to wipe the collar little by little.

The dark red blood that had seeped out could not be wiped clean, like solidified asphalt.

Shen Yun remained indifferent, showing no anger in her eyes, but stubbornly lingered on that spot.

His repetitive, mechanical movements and indifferent face made him resemble a puppet being manipulated.

It wasn't until Ji Huaiyi's voice came from outside, and he strode around a screen and stood in front of Shen Yun that he raised his eyes and mercifully glanced at him.

“I knew you’d be here. Were you here in the cemetery just now?” Ji Huaiyi leaned back on the table with his arms crossed, raising his head slightly, as if he was very proud of discovering that Shen Yun had been there.

“I never imagined that when Auntie left Yujing, she would hand over the keys to the Zhou family to you. It seems that although she has said all these years…” Ji Huaiyi glanced at Shen Yun discreetly, then stopped himself from saying the rest. He continued, “But she still trusts you the most.”

Shen Yun didn't speak, perhaps to let him live in torment forever?

The soft cloth slid past, landing an inch below the armpit, but suddenly there was resistance in my hand.

Shen Yun looked down and saw a shattered arrowhead piercing through her armor.

Ji Huaiyi noticed his movement and walked closer to look. He frowned slightly as he stared at the vermilion lacquered arrowhead in Shen Yun's hand.

"This arrow is made in the Western Yue region, but isn't the paint on it the vermilion lacquer that was specially supplied by the Imperial Ordnance Bureau back then?"

"My cousin's elite troops used... black lacquer..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Huaiyi felt a chill run down his spine. When he met Shen Jun's dark eyes, the spasm spread from the top of his head to every part of his body.

“It seems we need to start by investigating the Armory.” Unlike Ji Huaiyi’s shock, Shen Yun was much calmer, and a hint of interest appeared in his eyes.

It was as if he had known for a long time that there was more to Zhou Ziyang's death than met the eye.

Ji Huaiyi stared at him in disbelief, a series of shocks making him want to say a thousand words, but he didn't know where to begin.

Then they saw Shen Yun stride away from the study. Outside the door, a torrential downpour began, and the rising white mist easily obscured Shen Yun's figure.

On the carriage to the Armory, Shen Yun closed his eyes in deep thought, his face hidden in the rising smoke from the incense burner. He gently tapped his fingertips on his knees, "Bring out that person from the dark dungeon. I want to interrogate him myself."

-

During the rainy days, Zhao Mingzhu was unable to visit Lin Shutang at the Duke's Mansion.

As soon as the weather cleared up, I immediately came to keep my appointment.

Lin Shutang has been staying in the wooden house for the past few days. Zhao Mingzhu had never been exposed to these things before, but now that she sees Lin Shutang tinkering with them, she finds it quite interesting.

Especially after I started using it myself, I found the fun in it to be indescribable.

However, she lacked the strength to carve the wood properly.

Lin Shutang would pick up some soft wood for her to carve, while she would carve some artificial mountains and throw them into the water tank, both as houses for the goldfish and as a landscape feature for the tank.

Beside the artificial rockery were various oddly shaped and colorful pebbles, which Lin Shutang arranged beautifully.

Zhao Mingzhu bent over, watching the fish swimming happily in the water tank, and really wished she could live in it herself.

A pair of eyes were fixed on the fish's movements when suddenly, they couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!"

Lin Shutang also leaned closer, "What's wrong?"