Chapter 23: Something strange happened when reading the remaining pages of the scroll "No!"...

The pages of the book fell from Wen Yu's nose, and the fragrance gradually faded away, revealing Song Linsheng's face.

The scent of ink is dry and rich, from the initial rush to the forehead to the subsequent light fragrance lingering on the tip of the nose, it is very layered.

Wen Yu stared at Song Linsheng's face, stunned for a moment. His features were gentle, and even when he was silent, he wore a hint of a smile. As they stared at each other, there was a moment of silence, neither of them speaking first to disrupt the atmosphere.

With a "crash", Wen Yu's eyelashes flickered in shock and her body leaned back. She was originally squatting, but she couldn't keep her balance for a moment and fell to the ground.

It turned out that she lost strength in her hands and dropped the scroll she was holding.

Wen Yu hurriedly leaned forward to pick up the scroll, holding it against her face as she flipped through the pages, making it impossible for Song Linsheng to see her expression.

Seeing Wen Yu slumped down, Song Linsheng wanted to ask, but she was full of energy and didn't seem to be in any trouble, so he gave up. Song Linsheng returned his attention to the file.

Wen Yu quietly moved the book down half an inch, revealing a pair of round almond-shaped eyes, and glanced at Song Linsheng.

Where were we just now?

Are we bold in our assumptions and careful in our verification? Wen Yu kept repeating this sentence in his mind. It is said that mortals pay attention to etiquette and laws. From this perspective, Song Linsheng is truly unique.

Wen Yu's mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts, and it took him a while to finally focus on the book in his hand.

She flipped through the pages of the book that listed the officials in the palace. Yes, this one was quite simple, with few words she didn't recognize. Wen Yu couldn't help but nod. She wasn't well-educated, but she was more than capable of reading the rosters.

Wen Yu read it through roughly from beginning to end, but always felt that something was wrong. She was not sure for a moment, so she checked it carefully again.

"wrong!"

Wen Yu closed the book, came to his own conclusion, and quickly flipped through the scroll. Finally, he confirmed his conclusion and shouted:

"Song Linsheng! This record is wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Song Linsheng raised his head from the book and said, "Hmm?" Song Linsheng turned his body and moved closer to Wen Yu.

When Wen Yu saw him move over, she patted the empty space beside her.

"Look--" Wen Yu spread out the pages of the book in her hand, held it in front of Song Linsheng, flipped the pages back and forth, and asked Song Linsheng to look at it.

"Have you found anything wrong?" Wen Yu stared into Song Linsheng's eyes, waiting for his reply.

Song Linsheng's thoughts turned. He had read this scroll this morning and could roughly guess what Wen Yu was trying to say. But he hadn't expected Wen Yu to be so concerned about this matter. Could it be because of Chen Mian?

Or... because of myself?

Song Linsheng was startled by the sudden thought that came to his mind.

He didn't point it out, but continued, following Wen Yu's lead, "Oh? Did Madam Wen Yu discover something wrong?"

Wen Yu raised her chin slightly, feeling delighted. He hadn't noticed! Finally, she could help him.

She stopped flipping the pages, stopped them at one spot, pointed at a fragment of a page and said to Song Linsheng, "Look, there's a page missing here—"

"Oh?" Song Linsheng's eyes flickered, and his gaze shifted from Wen Yu's face to the pages of the book, examining them carefully.

"This entire volume records all the officials, clerks, and yamen runners of Jiangyang Prefecture, except for one person." Wen Yu couldn't help but feel a little proud as he spoke, and the ending tone of his voice rose a little.

"Oh?" Song Linsheng pretended to be surprised, put down the scroll in his hand, clasped his hands together and bowed to Wen Yu. "Then Linsheng may I ask, Madam Wen Yu, who is missing in this record?"

Wen Yu glanced around, then moved closer to Song Linsheng and whispered in his ear, "Master Jia Ren."

There was no record of Lord Jia, and there was a page missing. Wen Yu deduced that the missing page was Lord Jia's household registration record.

Warm breath surrounded his ears, and a trace of heat flowed around his ears as he breathed in and out. Song Linsheng, who had been joking leisurely, felt a tightness in his heart at this moment and dared not move.

Fortunately, Wen Yu retreated quickly after he finished speaking, and did not forget to glance around in case someone heard him.

Song Linsheng's neck was stiff, his Adam's apple moving up and down. He looked at Wen Yu in front of him, who was staring at him with wide eyes without blinking.

The white hair is as new as before, and the love is as old as before.

She and I had only known each other for a few days, but it felt like we had known each other for a hundred years. We were so tacitly connected, so harmonious, and so carefree... Could it be...

Song Linsheng didn't know what he was thinking about, and when he came to his senses, he chuckled.

"Madam Wenyu is very observant. I feel ashamed." As the words fell, Song Linsheng's smile gradually became more obvious.

Wen Yu noticed his reaction and was puzzled at first, but when she realized what was happening, she couldn't help but punch Song Linsheng.

"you!"

"You bad husband!" Wen Yu was anxious and angry. She punched him several times in a row. Her pink fists rubbed against the fabric, making a rustling sound.

"You knew it all along!"

Wen Yu then remembered that when she had just mentioned the time when Lord Mu had been in office, Song Linsheng had not shown any surprise. She thought that he had already read this volume a long time ago, but he still kept talking to her.

At this moment, Wen Yu really wanted to transform into her true form, a paulownia tree, right on the spot. After all, a tree wouldn't be as embarrassed as she was right now.

"Know what?" Song Linsheng's eyes were clear and bright, without any ripples. He continued, "Linsheng didn't know. Thank you, Madam Wenyu, for telling me."

He had indeed read this volume and knew that there was a page missing, but now, he could only say "I don't know." Song Linsheng smiled.

Wen Yu didn't respond, still turning her head away in shame and annoyance, ignoring Song Linsheng. He had no choice but to take the initiative to talk, "Then according to Madam Wen Yu, why is it so?"

Wenyu had no intention of speaking to him; she simply stared at the wall of books across from her, wishing she could punch a hole in it. The books, stacked on top of each other, were so densely packed that it looked just like her master's Temple of Spring.

But when she heard Song Linsheng's question, it really hit Wen Yu's heart. Yes! How could there be a missing page, and it happened to be the page with the record of Lord Jia?

"Since the Ministry of Finance is managed by Lord Mu, I think this book will not be eaten by insects." It can't be that an insect ate the page of paper! Wen Yu couldn't help but continued.

"Unless someone tore it away intentionally—" Wen Yu stroked the paper and expressed his guess.

Song Linsheng nodded, approving of Wen Yu's words. He then turned back and rummaged through the pile of books, pulling out a thicker volume. He held it in his hands and patted it.

Song Linsheng reached out, took the book from Wen Yu's hand, and replaced it with the one he had just found.

Wen Yu looked down and saw the big words "Jiangyang Prefecture Chronicle" written on it. He was a little confused about what Song Linsheng meant, so he looked up at him.

Song Linsheng smiled, raised the book he had exchanged from Wen Yu, and said, "Since this book is incomplete, there's no point in reading it."

"Whether it was caused by insects or humans, their purpose has been achieved - to prevent us from knowing Lord Jia's household registration, resume, population, etc." Song Linsheng analyzed.

"While this information is useful to us, it is not urgent at the moment."

"It's important that Rinsheng finishes going through these files first."

Wen Yu thought about it and felt that what Song Linsheng said made sense, but then he thought of the "Jiangyang Prefecture Chronicle" in his hand, so he spread it out and asked Song Linsheng: "What about this?"

"This is the Jiangyang Prefecture Chronicle. It records the history, customs, culture, and other important events and interesting stories of this place." Song Linsheng raised his hand to help Wen Yu turn a few pages to show her. "If Madam Wen Yu finds it boring, you can take a look at the anecdotes and interesting stories in it."

He was afraid that Wenyu would get bored waiting like this, so he found it specifically to entertain her.

"Oh—" Wen Yu dragged out the last word, then flipped through the pages without saying anything more. Song Linsheng probably still had many scrolls to read, so she decided to leave them alone.

Seeing Wen Yu gradually become more focused without blinking, Song Linsheng turned around and continued to mark the papers.

Outside, a gentle breeze blew, and the sun grew warmer, unlike the foggy, rainy days of the past few days. Sunlight crept through the window sill, casting a faint halo on the robes of Wen Yu and Song Linsheng. Wen Yu hunched over her desk, a book in her arms, while Song Linsheng sat upright beside her.

Neither of them made a sound, and the only sound was the rustling of pages turning.

The sun sets and night falls quietly.

Wen Yu thought she heard Song Linsheng calling her. Wasn't Song Linsheng looking through the files? Why was he calling her? Wen Yu was drowsy and didn't intend to get up to check. She just tilted her head and continued to sleep.

"Mrs. Wenyu?" Song Linsheng watched Wenyu slowly wake up, smacked his lips twice, and then closed his eyes again.

Song Linsheng couldn't help but laugh. He turned and glanced at the sky outside the window. It was only the beginning of spring, and the days were still very short. It was getting dark so early.

I was so busy reading the files today that I forgot the time and have been delayed until now. Wen Yu was so busy reading that he felt like he was in Zhougong's state.

Neither he nor Madam Wenyu had eaten lunch yet. Thinking of this, Song Linsheng couldn't help but come up with an idea. A faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips. Song Linsheng approached Wenyu and whispered:

"Madam Wenyu, it's time to get up and have some mutton soup—"

Wen Yu was sound asleep when she suddenly heard something about mutton soup. Her mind suddenly woke before her body. She opened her eyes and muttered, "Mutton soup? What mutton soup?" before sitting up straight.

As Wen Yu stood up, the outer robe she was wearing slipped off her shoulders. She reached out to grab it and saw that it was Song Linsheng's robe.

Song Linsheng took it and put it on, saying, "It's cold in early spring, and I'm worried that my wife will be cold."

Wen Yu sniffed, still a little drowsy, as if consciousness hadn't fully returned. She glanced around and saw that Song Linsheng had put the scrolls he had found back in their proper places. The bookshelves in the government office were now as neat as before.

Wen Yu rubbed her eyes, finally waking up completely, her mind clear again. She stood up, stretched her legs, and said to Song Linsheng, "Where is the mutton soup now? Could you please lead the way, Master Song?"

Song Linsheng laughed and raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, "It's at my residence. Madam Wenyu, please come and visit?"

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