The soldiers brought by Fu Shouan were responsible for cleaning up the mess. After working for most of the night, the two unlucky hostages could finally go home to wash up and go to sleep.
The night was cold and frosty. On the way home, Zhan Xinjia, who was following behind Shen Suqing, covered her nose and sneezed.
The young man in front stopped and turned around.
He silently took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders. Her slender fingers deftly tied a bow, very delicately.
Zhan Xinjia pinched the hem of her clothes.
His warmth still lingered on his clothes, the warmth transmitted through the fabric dispelling the chill of the night. If you sniffed closely, you could still smell the faint fragrance of ink and books that always brought peace of mind.
Mr. Shen is such an incredibly gentle and loving husband, even though he himself was coughing the whole time...
Zhan Xinjia was completely captivated. Clutching the hem of her robe, she hurried to catch up with him. Taking advantage of the young man's momentary lapse in attention, she suddenly leaned down, reached out, and embraced him, burying her face deeply in his chest.
"You... how can you be so improper as to not touch someone with your hand!"
A panicked rebuke came from above, and even through his clothes, one could feel the muffled thud emanating from his chest.
Zhan Xin Jia let go of his hand.
When she looked up again, her expression had changed to one of wronged innocence, with her eyebrows drooping and her demeanor timid and submissive.
Her eyelashes trembled, like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.
"I thought I'd never see Master Shen again. That kidnapper was so fierce and scary..."
That one sentence instantly rendered Shen Suqing speechless.
She was still a naive young girl, and it was inevitable that she would feel uneasy and fearful when faced with such a situation. She needed comfort and care. Was she too strict and too unapproachable?
Thinking this, Shen Suqing turned his head to the side, as if struggling and hesitating about something.
a long time.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He tentatively reached out and, somewhat hesitantly, gently placed his trembling hand on her head, then casually stroked her soft hair.
It's like doing good deeds in your daily life.
A warm, gentle touch came from above her head, and the little girl looked up with her snow-white face, as obedient as a docile little fox.
Shen Suqing's heart skipped a beat from the sight of that wet, dependent gaze. His eyelashes fluttered rapidly as he quickly withdrew his hand, then awkwardly turned away, clearing his throat with his fist to his lips, pretending to look around at the scenery.
"Don't get involved in such dangerous things again. Since you're staying, you should listen to your elders, understand?"
"But Lord Shen, I'll be very worried about you if you're not here."
Straightforwardness and sincerity are the best finishing moves.
Moreover, her eyes were so clear and bright under the moonlight, so pure and flawless. Anyone who was gazed at so devoutly by such clear eyes would inevitably feel a ripple in their heart.
Shen Suqing looked away, suppressing the strange, itchy feeling in his heart.
He softened his features, and his coaxing tone was somewhat awkward, clearly indicating that he had never spoken to anyone like this before.
"good."
The word, though light and airy, sounded tender and poignant to Zhan Xinjia's ears; it was beautiful no matter how you listened to it.
Although Master Shen always treats her like a child, she genuinely wants to win him over.
Zhan Xinjia had long known that Xiyue was the new female lead of this world, while she herself had inherited the identity of a vicious female supporting character from her own mother. Who knows, the two of them might one day lose their minds and fight over a useless man like dogs fighting over shit.
If that's the case, she might as well just find someone she likes and marry him!
She thought to herself that although she might occasionally act foolishly, her moral bottom line couldn't be so low as to cheat on her husband after marriage, could it?
I just imagined what would happen if she actually managed to get lucky and sleep with Lord Shen, and then dumped him to seduce some unknown male lead who hadn't even appeared yet. Lord Shen would probably be so angry he'd hang himself in front of her...
I dare not think about it, I dare not think about it.
Shivering, Zhan Xinjia pulled her wandering thoughts back from their reverie.
Looking up, the two happened to pass by the old mansion next to the dilapidated house, which looked majestic and solemn but was in terrible disrepair.
Zhan Xinjia glanced at it sideways, then suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The mansion is overgrown with weeds, the stone lions at the entrance are incomplete, the vermilion paint on the door is peeling off, and the main beams and broken walls seem to have been charred black by fire, and you can almost smell the lingering pungent smell of smoke in the air.
No matter how dilapidated it is, one can still glimpse its former glory when looking at the whole structure.
Amidst the sand and rubble, a broken, dilapidated plaque lies inconspicuous among the ruins, covered by a thick layer of dust and sand, its former glory long gone.
Zhan Xinjia stepped forward, squatted down, turned it over, and placed it upright. The words "Zhan" could be faintly discerned on a red background with gold lettering.
Yes, this was the general's mansion located in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city before her family moved to the capital.
She hadn't been back to see him since she moved to the capital seven years ago. But luckily, she knew the area like the back of her hand, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to take the shortcut to catch up with Lord Shen.
She almost lost her composure when she chased him to this area.
It's like being kidnapped by human traffickers—but then sold back to your hometown—a feeling of utter speechlessness.
Before she knew it, the young man walked up to her side and looked down at the plaque with her.
When he saw the words clearly, he suddenly realized what was going on.
"This is actually the site of the former general's mansion."
Seeing the little girl staring at him intently, Shen Suqing assumed she was interested in General Zhan's life story, so he patiently and slowly began to tell her about it.
General Zhan Yue, who rose to fame in his youth, had lost his parents at a young age and had no brothers or sisters, but he climbed to the position of First-Rank General of the Cavalry by virtue of his outstanding military achievements accumulated over many years of fighting on the frontier.
Seven years ago, after the borders were at peace and the war was over between the countries, General Zhan returned to the capital to be a wife and mother. To this day, he still holds the talisman that can mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops of the Great Sheng Kingdom.
It is said that he could fight a hundred men single-handedly with just a long spear, his spear skills were superb and unparalleled, and he once entered an enemy camp in foreign lands and took the heads of ten thousand enemies as easily as taking something out of a bag.
Hearing about his father's solo queue achievements from others, Zhan Xinjia puffed out his chest with great pride.
Others only know that Zhan Yue is in love with the current Empress but cannot have her, and he is jokingly called a "deeply affectionate simp" or even destined to be just a devoted second male lead used as a tool in a story.
But what Lady Shen remembered was her father's real contributions to the stability and prosperity of the Great Sheng Kingdom.
Zhan Xinjia smiled slightly.
Yes, her father is a fighter of unparalleled strength in this world.
He is invincible below the level of gods; even if a god descends to earth, he would still have to fight her father one-on-one.
As his only daughter.
How could she possibly be some delicate dodder?
——
"Lord Fu, we found the remaining assassins on the riverbank. However..."
The official who came to report wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his face pale with fright, as if he had seen a ghost.
"What they found were corpses, their bodies neatly stacked into a square in a grotesque manner. According to the coroner's examination of the wounds, all were fatal from a single blow. The murder weapon was... was..."
He stammered.
Fu Shouan raised an eyebrow.
What is it?
"It's a reed stalk..."
Even the officer himself couldn't believe it when he told the story.
Fu Shouan was somewhat taken aback. He couldn't help but recall the feeling of being spied on when he talked with Shen Suqing in the study. His senses were always exceptionally sharp, and he rarely made mistakes in his judgments.
The assassins sent by Lanjiang were silently slaughtered. Although it is unknown whether they were friend or foe, it shows that the other party was at least not one of Lanjiang's people.
Who could it be...?
As Fu Shou'an was lost in thought, a minor official next to him suddenly slapped his forehead and muttered to himself in a somewhat confused tone.
"I remember when I went to see Lord Shen, that young lady was still in the courtyard and hadn't been kidnapped yet! How did she end up here? Did the assassin return and take her with him?! That's utterly depraved!"
she?
"I like to steal things, and I also like to seduce the young masters in the manor."
hiss……
Recalling the girl's sinister smile as she sipped grass, Fu Shou'an felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had been harassed from afar. He hugged his arms and shook his head rapidly, trying to banish her face from his mind.
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
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