Chapter 34 I want to go home. This isn't my place...
Chapter 34
Shen Suining was slightly taken aback. When he asked her so gently, all the grievances that had been building up inside her surged up in her heart.
She gritted her teeth, trying to control her emotions, and sighed softly, "You had a prior appointment with someone else, why did you have to provoke me?"
A look of confusion appeared in He Hansheng's eyes.
She didn't question him, nor did she expect an answer. She simply gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile, stood up, and walked away without a word.
He Hansheng closed his eyes and took a while to sit up from the ground.
Shen Suining and Shen Fengyu had both disappeared. Jiang Yuchu ran up and pulled the sword that Shen Suining had dropped from the ground, and helped He Hansheng up. "Don't worry, my lord, Fengyu went to chase after the madam."
"Fine, let her be." He Hansheng stood up, clutching his chest. A metallic taste rose in his throat, and red stains appeared at the corners of his mouth. He noticed this and swallowed it back without making a sound.
“I still need to go to the palace to report back,” He Hansheng took the sword from Jiang Yuchu’s hand and noticed that there seemed to be bloodstains on the hilt. His tone turned cold. “You should think about how to explain the grievances that the lady has suffered.”
...
After He Hansheng went to the palace to report the imperial decree, he went to the garrison of the city defense troops.
The city defense army is in charge of the security of the capital and is responsible for the defense of the capital. It cannot afford to make any mistakes. Now that Zhou Fu has committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and several generals who originally followed him have also been dismissed for suspected embezzlement, the city defense army is leaderless and its combat effectiveness is lax. Li Bo immediately drafted an edict ordering He Hansheng to take over the city defense army and reorganize it.
This surprised He Hansheng. He had thought that regaining control of the city's garrison would be difficult, but it went so smoothly.
However, now that he had regained control of the city's defense forces, He Hansheng naturally had to take some action. He stayed at his post until late at night, and by the time he got home, it was almost dawn.
The bedroom was empty, and there was no sign of anyone sleeping on the bed. He Hansheng called Xiang Yemingke and learned that Shen Suining had not returned home all night, and Shen Fengyu was also nowhere to be found.
He Hansheng pressed his temples, enduring the exhaustion of two sleepless nights, and asked, "What happened while I was gone?"
Xiang Ye and Mingke exchanged a glance and then both lowered their heads.
“Madam has been in a good mood these past few days, but the day before yesterday, Princess Lanxin from the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion came by and said some unpleasant things,” Xiangye paused and told her everything she knew: “Princess Lanxin must have believed someone else’s words. She insisted that Madam had taken the position that rightfully belonged to her and demanded that Madam apologize to her. She also insulted Madam and Marquis Pinghuai. Madam was naturally furious.”
He Hansheng frowned. Given Shen Suining's vindictive nature, if the Gao family really came to cause trouble, she probably would have lost her temper on the spot. How could she have gotten so angry?
Seemingly sensing He Hansheng's doubts, Mingke boldly spoke up: "My lord, you and His Highness are both worried about Madam and constantly advise her to stay away. Madam is only doing this for your sake, afraid of causing trouble, which is why she's been so patient. Jinghao and Jingyue both said that Princess Lanxin, relying on her status as a princess, first stopped Madam's carriage, then threw cabbages at Feng Yu in the street and insulted Madam, yet Madam endured it all without uttering a sound. But that princess relentlessly pursued her, coming to our residence to humiliate Madam like this. Even an ordinary woman wouldn't be able to bear it, let alone... Madam with her temperament."
"Didn't the eldest princess say anything?"
"Madam specifically instructed that the Eldest Princess is recuperating and should not be allowed to know these things, otherwise why would Madam feel so aggrieved?"
After learning the whole story, He Hansheng couldn't sit still any longer. He grabbed his clothes and headed outside.
Just then, Jiang Yuchu returned from outside. His wife hadn't come back last night, and he hadn't slept all night, searching everywhere with his guards.
Seeing that He Hansheng was about to leave, he understood immediately. Before he could even catch his breath, he said, "My lord, the lady is in the Nine Heavens."
...
Beyond the nine heavens.
After tossing and turning all night, Shen Suining finally fell asleep with her head on Shen Fengyu's lap just before dawn.
She was dressed as a man and got extremely drunk; even wearing a human skin mask couldn't hide her rosy complexion.
Shen Fengyu sighed softly and fanned Shen Suining with a small fan. Luo Jiuxun brought over a pot of sobering tea and said softly, "I have never seen the young master so drunk that he is completely unconscious."
“I’ve never seen this before,” Shen Fengyu said, looking at the sleeping Shen Suining. It was impossible for her not to feel pain in her heart. “I grew up with the young master, and this is the first time I’ve seen her so aggrieved. If this were in Yangzhou—”
Shen Fengyu stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, letting out a heavy sigh.
But this isn't Yangzhou, it's Huadu. Whether she's the young master or not, there are too many rules to consider, so she simply can't act the same way she did in Yangzhou.
“If the young master continues to stay in Huadu, he will inevitably suffer such grievances in the future,” Luo Jiuxun poured a bowl of sobering tea and left it to cool. “However, what Princess Gao said is only her side of the story. I have inquired and found that the Yongan Marquis’s Mansion and the Zhenguo Duke’s Mansion have never had a marriage agreement. Those so-called rumors in Huadu are just what the Zhenguo Duke’s wife said.”
Shen Fengyu was speechless. "As a mother, how could she be so disregardful of her own daughter's dignity?"
"The Princess and the Empress Dowager probably did have such thoughts in private," Luo Jiuxun smiled. "But in the end, she was also after her own position in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Everyone knows that the Duke of Zhenguo is lustful and favors his concubines over his wife. The Duchess of Zhenguo endured for many years before she had a legitimate daughter, Princess Lanxin. Naturally, she hoped that she would marry into a higher social class so that she could finally hold her head high. Unfortunately, an imperial edict from the Emperor shattered her dream, and now this lady is caught in a dilemma."
Shen Fengyu didn't speak. She didn't care about the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion at all; she just felt sorry for Shen Suining being treated like this.
"Feed the young master some, it's almost ready," Luo Jiu checked the temperature of the hangover tea. "The young marquis's men should be arriving soon."
No sooner had she finished speaking than there was a knock at the door. "Ninth Miss, the person has arrived."
Luo Jiuxun and Shen Fengyu exchanged a glance. "Please come in."
The door opened, and He Hansheng stood in the doorway.
"My lord."
"Miss Luo."
He Hansheng nodded in acknowledgment, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Shen Suining sleeping soundly in Shen Fengyu's arms.
She disguised herself as a man, no wonder Jiang Yuchu sent people to search all night but couldn't find her.
He Hansheng walked to Shen Fengyu's side, took Shen Suining and held her in his arms. She smelled strongly of alcohol, her cheeks were red and hot, and even though she was asleep, her brows were furrowed.
He Hansheng reached out and gently stroked her brow with his fingertips, then tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear.
Shen Fengyu's expression darkened upon seeing He Hansheng, but she didn't say anything. Luo Jiu, however, understood the situation and smiled, "I've already explained the matter between the Marquis and Princess Lanxin to the young master. But the one who tied the knot must untie it. If the Marquis has some free time, he should resolve this matter as soon as possible to avoid future troubles."
"Thank you." He Hansheng picked up Shen Suining and carried her to the door.
“My lord, please wait,” Luo Jiuxun stood up, remembering something. “I have made some progress on the matter that the young master ordered me to investigate. The person who poisoned the flower was just a farmer who came to Huadu to work. He had no relatives or friends and knew nothing about what he had put in the Qionghua Dew that day. When I tracked him down, he had already drowned in a small river on the outskirts of the capital.”
He Hansheng stood still, when he heard Luo Jiuxun ask, word by word, "May I ask, Lord Marquis, do you wish to continue the investigation?"
“…No need,” He Hansheng glanced at Shen Suining in his arms, sighed softly, and turned around. “If she asks about it another day, just say that the person has been found.”
Luo Jiuxun understood. "I understand. I will stop the young master from interfering in this matter any further."
Thank you.
...
He Hansheng brought Shen Suining back to the Marquis's residence.
She drank the hangover soup, vomited twice on the way, and was half-awake, constantly groaning that she felt unwell.
He Hansheng removed the human skin mask from her face, used a handkerchief to take water and wipe her face, and when she said she was thirsty, he fed her water to drink.
Shen Suining opened her eyes, her gaze vacant. She lay on the seat opposite He Hansheng, staring blankly at the car ceiling.
After a long silence, she whispered, "I want to go home."
“Okay,” He Hansheng replied, “I’ll take you home.”
Shen Suining exhaled a breath of alcohol, still seemingly feeling quite unwell. After a long pause, she said, "This isn't my home. I want to go back to Yangzhou. I miss my mother."
She spoke very softly and slowly, making it impossible to tell whether she was awake or drunk.
“Okay, I’ll take you back to Yangzhou,” He Hansheng gently stroked her cheek, his fingertips caressing the corner of her eye. “The tenth of the month is just a few days away. I’ll take you back to Yangzhou, okay?”
Shen Suining didn't speak. She closed her eyes, seemingly feeling a little more at ease.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Marquis's residence, He Hansheng carried the person out of the carriage and instructed the others: "The fact that the lady has not returned all night should not alarm the Princess."
"Understood."
He Hansheng returned to Tamei Garden and placed the person on the bed in the bedroom. By then, it was already dawn.
Jiang Yuchu watched He Hansheng's retreating figure and said worriedly, "My lord, there will probably be a fierce battle at court this morning. You haven't slept in so long, you should rest for a while."
"I have to go to court soon, so I'll just take a nap in the study." After settling Shen Suining in, He Hansheng took a short nap in the study before heading to the palace for the morning court session.
Shen Suining didn't wake up until almost noon.
Her head was terribly dizzy from the hangover, and every step she took after getting out of bed felt like walking on cotton, making her stagger.
She had been too indulgent yesterday and had a blackout. Now she was a little confused, so she called Mingke over and asked, "How did I get back?"
“Madam, the young marquis didn’t return until dawn. Hearing that you hadn’t come home all night, he personally went to bring you back,” Mingke said while combing Shen Suining’s hair. “Brother Jiang said that the young marquis didn’t sleep for two whole nights in order to get back to see you as soon as possible. He had just brought you back and hadn’t even slept for an hour before he got up to go to the morning court.”
"He must have had a hard time." Shen Suining yawned, not caring much. After all, He Hansheng's hard work had nothing to do with her, but the anger she felt was truly caused by him.
Seeing that Shen Suining still seemed angry, Mingke couldn't help but say a few words of advice: "Madam, as the saying goes, even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. You and the young marquis have been husband and wife for a long time. Even if there is a huge misunderstanding, it can be resolved by talking it out. Why do you have to get angry over a few words from others? Not only will you ruin your health, but the young marquis will also have to worry. It's really not worth it."
Shen Suining glanced at her through the bronze mirror and laughed, "You're quite the smooth talker, but why aren't you as quick-witted when you're working?"
Mingke stuck out her tongue, looking rather embarrassed.
Just as Shen Suining finished combing her hair, Xiangye knocked on the door and came in. "Madam, the Princess invites you to come over for a chat."
"..." Shen Suining thought to herself that something was wrong.
She didn't return home all night yesterday, and she was in a place like the highest heavens. In the eyes of the princess, this is probably a violation of the rules, and she will surely be scolded soon.
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