Chapter 52 Would it be better to be more obedient and keep quiet?

The new year had barely passed a few days ago, and Shen Yun had just returned to the manor when Shen Zhixi from the second branch of the family started making a fuss about going to the academy in Jiangnan.

Hearing that a great Confucian scholar of our time would be giving lectures in Jiangnan, Shen Zhixi begged the old lady to let her go and pay her respects, otherwise she would surely regret it for the rest of her life.

The old lady felt that it was not so serious. It was not the last time he would give lectures. Perhaps next spring, the great Confucian scholar would come to Yujing to open a school.

Why did Shen Zhixi have to drive there in the dead of winter?

But he couldn't resist Shen Zhixi's eagerness to learn and her inquisitive nature. Now that she had come of age, she didn't have many opportunities to be so unrestrained.

The old lady did not want to crush her spirit prematurely, and considering that the climate in Jiangnan must be more pleasant than in Yujing, she agreed and sent more people to protect her.

By the time the news reached Jingyuan Residence, Shen Zhixi had already been on her journey for two days.

Lin Shutang didn't take it seriously at first, after all, Lu Zheng seemed to be serving in Jiangnan, and it wasn't surprising that Shen Zhixi was so enthusiastic and went to Jiangnan alone.

What shocked me was that Lu Zheng hadn't even been able to return to Yujing for the New Year.

Until she heard that Consort Xu in the palace was preparing a banquet, and heard rumors that she was looking for a husband for Princess Changning.

If all goes well, it should be implemented within six months.

Lin Shutang only then realized what was going on.

She paused in stirring the medicine with her spoon, looked up at Shen Yun sitting on the opposite couch, and saw Shen Yun look away from his military book while she was still pondering.

He glanced indifferently at the medicine bowl in Lin Shutang's hand, a slight smile in his eyes, "Can't drink it?"

Lin Shutang fled on New Year's Eve, and inevitably caught a cold along the way.

These days, Shen Yun had been watching her drink her medicine every day, and Lin Shutang had long been getting impatient. She slammed the medicine bowl down on the table and asked, "Do you know anything about Fourth Sister and the Princess's affair?"

Shen Yun glanced at the medicine bowl; some of the medicine had seeped onto the table.

In response to Lin Shutang's words, he raised an eyebrow indifferently and gave a soft "hmm." He appeared to know the situation but seemed uninterested.

He acted as if the matter had nothing to do with him at all.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Shutang sneered, "The young master truly has impressive methods."

Lin Shutang approached Changning that day because he valued her status as a princess.

Changning was in love with Chenyun and owed her a debt of gratitude for saving her life, making her the best and most suitable choice to help her leave the capital.

Firstly, obtaining a registration certificate and travel permit would be easy for Changning, so even if Shenyun knew she was missing, he wouldn't be able to trace it back to Changning.

Secondly, even if they found out, Shen Yun couldn't touch her because of Princess Changning's status.

Her departure will not implicate anyone.

Lin Shutang thought he had succeeded this time, but he did not expect that Shen Yun would return from Yizhou so quickly.

Furthermore, by following the clues from her unusual behavior during this period, they were able to trace it back to Changning, and then accurately intercept her on the road to the capital.

Now, all those she had intentionally or unintentionally used that day have been punished by Shen Yun. They either fear her like Lvwu or stay away from her like Shen Zhixi. She is truly trapped in Jingyuan Residence, isolated and helpless.

"So Ah Tang needs to learn to be more obedient."

Shen Yun had already walked up to Lin Shutang without anyone noticing. He picked up the bowl of medicine and stirred it gently. The rising steam shrouded his dark eyebrows and eyes in a mist, making his expression inscrutable.

His voice was clear and cold, like spring water melting on an iceberg peak. He smiled inscrutablely, "You know I can't bear to hurt you, but I don't have that much patience for others."

Lin Shutang shuddered in fear.

Even though I knew what he had done, hearing him admit it so frankly still shattered my last bit of hope, and a feeling of stagnation choked me.

Shen Yun always does things this way. Things that seem to have nothing to do with him are actually secretly orchestrated by him.

But this wasn't because he intentionally wanted to hide it; he simply disdained to deal with it personally.

Lin Shutang's plan to use this to stab him was destined to fail.

Her idea of ​​escaping from him was simply a pipe dream.

Shen Yun squatted down in front of her, stirred the medicine until it was warm, and brought it to her lips. A gentle light lingered in his eyes, as if those horrifying words had not come from his own mouth.

Lin Shutang couldn't pretend nothing had happened like him. She stared coldly into his eyes, stubbornly refusing to open her mouth, as if Shen Yun had delivered some kind of intestinal poison.

The heat from the medicine on the spoon had mostly dissipated, and a faint bitter taste lingered in the air.

Shen Yun stared at her, a deep silence gradually filling his eyes, as if deep in thought. "She refuses to take her medicine or eat, but she desperately wants to run outside."

Lin Shutang's fingertips curled up involuntarily.

Shen Yun slowly placed the medicine bowl on the coffee table, glanced at her, and a hint of interest appeared on her lips. "I heard from Lvwu that you really like that silk and satin shop in the capital."

It was as if a taut string had snapped in her mind, the resounding ache lingering in her ears. Lin Shutang stared wide-eyed at Shen Yun, momentarily at a loss for how to react.

Shen Yun reached behind her head and pulled her forward, saying, "If A-Tang likes that place, why don't we go take a look together today?"

Lin Shutang grabbed his sleeve and shook her head instinctively, "I... I'm not feeling well, I don't want to go out."

"Don't want to go out?" Shen Yun repeated, then lowered his head as if thinking for a moment, before suddenly bursting into laughter, his chest heaving and his shoulders and neck trembling.

Just like in my dream.

Lin Shutang stared at the person in front of her in shock, unable to react at all.

He suddenly stopped laughing and abruptly pressed down on the back of Lin Shutang's head, bringing the two face to face instantly.

Those dark eyes, like perfectly round pieces of glass, rolled slightly before her eyes. His calm voice carried a chilling undertone, "But haven't you seen him many times behind my back?"

Lin Shutang was utterly terrified. Her eyes quickly turned bloodshot, and her scream seemed to burst from her throat, but it was as if something was blocking it. She could only stand there blankly, held by Shen Yun, unable to move at all, and even her trembling lips seemed unable to make a sound.

He knew.

He knows everything.

The senior brother couldn't beat him.

Recalling the scar on Song Ying's neck, memories flooded back, and Lin Shutang's breathing became rapid and uncontrollable.

Shen Yun will kill him.

He'll be killed!

With calloused fingertips gently gliding across her cheek, Lin Shutang realized her face was wet when she came to her senses.

Shen Yun stared at her tears as they flowed down her cheeks, silently wiping them away repeatedly.

His face was expressionless, and even the madness that had been suppressed in his eyes seemed to have dissipated considerably, but Lin Shutang was still in shock and couldn't help but tremble slightly when he touched her.

No matter how much Shen Yun wiped, she couldn't stop. Her palms seemed to be completely soaked with Lin Shutang's tears, and in the end, her face was covered in tear stains.

"A-Tang," he called her name, his tone strangely gentle, "be good, okay?"

His voice trailed off in a low tone, like a traveler who had been wandering in the desert for a long time without seeing an oasis, exhausted but still carrying a glimmer of hope. His voice was restrained and pleading, but to Lin Shutang, it sounded like a warning that his patience was about to run out.

The medicine eventually went cold.

When the new medicine was brewed and brought over, Shen Yun personally fed Lin Shutang the medicine. She stopped being stubborn and obediently drank it down mouthful by mouthful.

The atmosphere between the two was eerily quiet.

-

Thanks to the meticulous care he received over the past few days, Lin Shutang's cold had mostly subsided, and the New Year was more than halfway over.

For the first time ever, Shen Yun took Lin Shutang out of the mansion for a walk on this day.

Along the way, Lin Shutang nervously watched the carriage's movements, fearing that the matter from that day was not over and that Shen Yun would still be relentless and insist on taking her to the silk shop.

Fortunately, after getting off the bus, Lin Shutang discovered that it was Mingyufang in Yujing.

Shen Yun really just took her for a stroll on the street, which put Lin Shutang at ease.

Chen Yan was in another carriage, and a servant carried her down from the horse.

The streets and alleys were bustling with people, and given Chen Yan's small stature, it was impossible for him to be led around on the ground, swaying and staggering.

Shen Yun took Shen Yan and half-huddled him in her arms. With her other hand, she took Lin Shutang's hand.

Lin Shutang walked to Shen Jun's right, pursed her lips, and remained quiet without struggling.

Suddenly with a wider view, Shen Yan craned his neck to look curiously at the stalls on both sides of the street, grinning excitedly. This unconsciously eased the atmosphere between the two.

In the new year of Yujing, even in broad daylight, the streets and alleys are decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons.

Occasionally, snow falling from the treetops would land on the shoulders of tourists, wetting them without feeling it was unlucky. They would wave it away amidst laughter and chatter, then disperse shoulder to shoulder into the network of alleyways.

On the horizon, the clouds that had been overcast for many days moved slowly, and beams of colorful light shone through. Lin Shutang looked up and saw a bustling crowd. Birds on the lake took flight in response and scattered in all directions.

Shen Yun silently turned to look at her, his hand unconsciously tightening its grip.

Not long after the New Year, the holiday for the officials of the Sheng Dynasty ended. On her first day at the Imperial Training Ground, Shen Yun received a message from Ji Huaiyi.

The scouts he sent to various border garrisons last year have returned, saying that there was no such thing as military pay being escorted over back then.

All the border garrisons were in the same situation, completely unaware of the existence of such a batch of military pay.

Based on the secret letter from Shen Yun regarding the grain transport, he sent people to trace the source and eventually found that the military pay issued by Lu Bingyan was transferred at Pingkou Pass and then transferred to Jiangnan, where it was stored under the name of Yongkang Grain Store.

The person behind Yongkang Grain Store is none other than the Third Prince!

When Ji Huaiyi discovered this, even though he already knew in advance that the person behind it was one of the emperor's princes, he was still shocked.

After all, the Third Prince's maternal family was not prominent, and no one would have noticed him among the many princes back then.

However, considering that the Third Prince had suddenly risen to prominence after the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's factions were executed, it was not surprising.

This person, who has been lurking in the shadows for so long, must be a force to be reckoned with, both in terms of ambition and strength.

Ji Huaiyi felt deeply troubled, recalling that if it weren't for the shortage of military pay and food supplies back then, perhaps his cousin could have held out for a few more days in the Battle of Black Pine Ridge.

If reinforcements arrive, perhaps he won't die in a foreign land.

Shen Yun was not surprised that the investigation led to the Third Prince.

Since the incidents at Jiuli Mountain, the painted boat, and the Lu residence, it's clear that the Third Prince wants to kill him.

At first, he thought that since Shen Xiuyan had returned, he could not get his support, so he might as well find someone else to support the successor of the Duke's Mansion, which would be more helpful to him.

Therefore, he had to die.

But now it seems that every time he took action, it was around the time he was investigating what happened back then.

However, the death of Zhou Ziyang, a mere subject, should not have caused him such unease. He had a gut feeling that beneath the surface of Zhou Ziyang's death lay countless more skeletons.

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Author's Note: The Crown Prince's madness progress +1 [eating melon emoji]

There's no ranking this week, so I can only rely on the latest updates. Life is tough on me, so update times will be random and unpredictable, don't be surprised.

If there's a ranking next week, I'll update it regularly [crying emoji]