Chapter 63 I never wanted you to be confined to the inner quarters…
Chapter 63
Two days later.
Shen Suining sat on the bamboo couch in the outer room of the bedroom, holding a storybook, and frowned as she looked at Shen Fengyu. "You mean to say that in the entire capital, the only person who can be compared to He Hansheng is Song Fei, the Commander of the Palace Guard?"
Shen Fengyu nodded and said, "It is said that Song Fei's martial arts at his peak were so powerful that even his father might not have been able to gain the upper hand, let alone the current young marquis."
Shen Suining fell into deep thought. She knew that He Hansheng was highly skilled in martial arts, but she did not expect that in the capital city, where there were so many hidden talents, there was only one elder who could be compared with him.
The Palace Guard directly controls the defense of the palace and is responsible for the safety of the emperor, empress dowager, and concubines. As the commander-in-chief, Song Fei would not leave the palace at will.
She thought for a moment, then said, "You just said he has two sons, so his kung fu must be pretty good too."
“His two sons, the eldest, Song Wenshi, is also a first-rate martial arts master, while the second son, Song Jialin, is slightly less skilled. However, both of them have suffered defeats at the hands of the young marquis,” Shen Fengyu thought for a moment and added, “Although they cannot defeat the young marquis, they are probably still slightly better than you, young master.”
Shen Suining: "..."
After glaring at Shen Fengyu, Shen Suining looked away, pondering that both of them might be the masked men she had fought with in front of the Dali Temple.
Having made up her mind, she didn't ask any more questions, only reminding Shen Fengyu, "Don't let He Hansheng know about this."
"Understood." Shen Fengyu didn't think much of it.
At this moment, Jiang Yuchu knocked on the door and entered. Seeing that He Hansheng was not there, she bowed to Shen Suining and asked, "Madam, where is the Marquis?"
"I guess she's with her mother-in-law," Shen Suining glanced at him, then looked down at her storybook and said casually, "Is there something she can't tell me?"
Jiang Yuchu quickly denied it, "No, no, it's just that the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has recently encountered some difficulties and wants to ask the young marquis for help. These trivial matters of the court have never been of interest to Madam."
Shen Suining said "Oh?", "Is the Dali Temple in trouble? Is there another unsolved case of injustice?"
Jiang Yuchu truthfully replied, "It's not exactly a wrongful conviction. It's just that the night before last, a woman ran to the Dali Temple in the middle of the night, claiming to be the personal maid of General Fenyong's wife. She accused General Fenyong of poisoning his wife and threatening to kill her to cover it up. That same night, the soldiers also found the bodies of several men in black and the woman's companions on a street not far from the Dali Temple, which basically confirms that what the woman said was true, but..."
After a pause, Jiang Yuchu continued, "Without concrete evidence, General Fenyong stubbornly denies it, claiming that the woman framed him. And Madam Zhou's coffin has already been buried, making verification impossible. It is indeed not appropriate to convict an official of the court based solely on one person's statement. Moreover, General Fenyong is nominally the young marquis's cousin, so Lord Lin would like to ask the young marquis to see if there are any other clues."
Shen Suining sneered inwardly, thinking that He Bufan had already erased all traces of Zhou Hao's life, even killing all her close confidants. It would be a miracle if any evidence could be found.
When He Hansheng returned, he was slightly taken aback to see Jiang Yuchu there as well.
He walked over and sat down next to Shen Suining, pouring himself a cup of tea. "What are you talking about?"
"We were talking about Zhou Hao's case." Shen Suining thought for a moment, put down her book, and looked at He Hansheng.
She rested her hands on the small table, leaned slightly forward, and asked him in a tone that was half-consulting and half-confused, "Do you think we should let the people from the Dali Temple know that Zhou Hao's coffin is empty?"
Before He Hansheng could speak, Jiang Yuchu said, "Madam Zhou has already been buried. If we want to verify that her coffin is empty, we would have to break the ground and open the coffin, which is probably not appropriate."
“If you tell Lin Ling this directly, he might not believe you. Besides, even if they open the coffin and verify it, it will be difficult to explain how we knew,” He Hansheng took a sip of tea and looked at Shen Suining, “unless…”
The two exchanged a glance. He Hansheng hadn't finished speaking, but Shen Suining already understood.
She raised an eyebrow. "Looks like we're thinking the same thing."
He Hansheng smiled and said to Jiang Yuchu, "Send a few people to disguise themselves as tomb raiders and open Zhou Hao's tomb."
Jiang Yuchu suddenly realized, "I understand."
After Jiang Yuchu left, Shen Suining picked up her teacup and looked at He Hansheng, saying in a teasing tone, "Young Master He's methods are becoming more and more unscrupulous these days. He can even do such a despicable thing as destroying people's graves."
"One is influenced by one's surroundings. Compared to you, Madam, I am still somewhat lacking." He Hansheng raised his glass and gently clinked it with hers, a smile in his eyes, before drinking it all in one gulp.
Shen Suining snorted lightly, "Don't try to pin this on me. There's a saying that it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Who knows if you're just like this to begin with?"
He Hansheng's expression was gentle, and he did not intend to refute.
He glanced at the storybook beside Shen Suining out of the corner of his eye, raised his chin, and asked, "What story is this now?"
“Oh, this one,” Shen Suining picked up the storybook and tossed it onto the table. “It’s a story about a scholar and a female knight-errant. They fell in love at first sight, their love was so intense it was almost unbearable. Later, the scholar became a high-ranking official and fell in love with a princess. To win him back, the female knight-errant actually crippled herself and used her martial arts to express her feelings. Do you think the person who wrote this storybook has something wrong with their head? The other person had already fallen in love with someone else, the female knight-errant should have just walked away, why would she cripple her martial arts for a stinky man?”
She looked so angry, like a little cat with its fur standing on end, baring its teeth and claws as if it were complaining to someone.
He Hansheng suppressed a laugh, "You're angry but you still insist on watching, aren't you just making yourself miserable?"
Shen Suining exclaimed "Ah!" and touched her nose. "The beginning was quite exciting, especially when the female knight and the scholar supported each other as they roamed the martial world—it was so thrilling! I never imagined that the later parts would suddenly feel like they were written by a completely different person..."
"And what's the ending?" He Hansheng picked up the storybook and casually flipped through it. "I see you've been reading it for two days now, you've already finished it, right?"
“Hmm,” Shen Suining responded sullenly, looking rather speechless. “That scholar was moved by the heroine’s sincere and passionate feelings, and the two reconciled and got married. The heroine lost her martial arts skills and was kept in the scholar’s harem, where she bore him a total of five children!”
He Hansheng: "..."
Shen Fengyu, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and coughed a few times, reminding him, "Young Master, I've told you to stop looking at this junk."
"Isn't it because I'm stuck at home with nothing to do? My dad hasn't come back yet, and I can't go to places like the Nine Heavens Outer Realm often. I'm all alone at home, unable to do anything, and I'm so bored I'm practically sprouting leaves!" Shen Suining complained, clenching her fist. "Otherwise, do you think I enjoy watching this infuriating stuff?"
Hearing this, He Hansheng immediately felt a little guilty. "I'm sorry, I haven't had time to spend with you properly since I came back."
“That’s not what I meant,” Shen Suining said, bowing and looking listless. “You’re so busy with official duties, how can you always be with me? Besides, it’s easy to get tired of being together all the time, and I don’t want us to fight over something trivial one day.”
He Hansheng pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. He both hoped that Shen Suining would pay more attention to him and felt guilty for neglecting her.
After a moment of silence, He Hansheng called out "Ningning" and said softly, "I plan to go to Yunzhou in a few days."
Shen Suining immediately sat up straight. "Is it about your father-in-law?"
He Hansheng nodded. "Recently, He Bufan has secretly mobilized people to Yunzhou, probably trying to cover something up. I'm very concerned about it, and I won't feel at ease unless I go there in person."
“I’ve already sent Lingrui and Yanzhen over there, but it would be better if you went in person to handle your father-in-law’s matter.”
Shen Suining agreed with He Hansheng's decision, but thinking about how busy he had been lately and was almost never home, she couldn't help but ask, "Have you finished your work? If you really go to Yunzhou, you won't be back for three to five days."
“It’s almost done. The city will be redeployed in the next few days, and the security in the capital will be better. It won’t be easy for men in black to kill witnesses in the street,” He Hansheng paused for a moment, “This time, no matter what, you will come with me.”
"That old woman..."
“I will take care of Mother’s affairs, so you don’t need to worry about it,” He Hansheng interrupted her, his attitude firm. “Ningning, I never want you to be confined to the inner quarters, and you don’t need to restrict yourself because of these concerns. The Ningning I know should have cheered and packed her bags the moment I told her I was going to Yunzhou, instead of showing this kind of expression.”
Shen Suining was stunned for a moment, then suddenly lowered her head and chuckled self-deprecatingly.
When did she, the young master of Shuyu Manor, become so hesitant to even step out the door? No wonder those stories about the inner quarters always depict a vibrant woman trapped in her own little world, slowly turning into a walking corpse. It turns out that the deep inner courtyards that confine women for their entire lives are truly places that devour people without spitting out their bones.
“I understand, He Hansheng,” Shen Suining said with a bright smile when she looked up again. She stood up and said, “My brothers and sisters who came to Huadu with me are probably just as bored as I am. I’ll make arrangements to take them to Yunzhou with you and me.”
...
A few more days passed.
After the empty coffin in Zhou Hao's tomb was dug out, Zhou's relatives and elders immediately ran to the Dali Temple and cried and made a scene, determined to get an explanation for Zhou Hao.
The matter caused a great uproar, and coupled with Fuling's previous lawsuit and the rumors that had already spread among the people, Lin Ling, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, finally had enough reason to thoroughly investigate the case.
After the case was officially filed, Lin Ling led his officers and soldiers to seal off the residence of the Valiant General.
Upon hearing this gratifying news, Shen Suining secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself that she had already cooperated in everything she could, and the investigation would be handled by the Dali Temple. She was going to go to Yunzhou with He Hansheng in a beautiful way.
On the day of departure, as soon as the carriage left the city gates of the capital, Shen Suining couldn't contain her excitement. She lifted the curtain and watched the scenery in the suburbs change along the way. Not long after leaving the capital, the roadside was lined with golden ginkgo trees, and the vegetation on the mountains was also colorful, layer upon layer, which was particularly beautiful. She immediately felt that her breathing was much easier.
Seeing her so happy, He Hansheng smiled and gently reminded her, "It's chilly outside, be careful."
"With my health, what am I afraid of?" Shen Suining snorted lightly, but still obediently lowered the curtain.
She sat down next to He Hansheng, who naturally reached out and pulled her into his arms. The two leaned against each other, and Shen Suining turned her head, her eyes full of anticipation and joy. "This is my first time experiencing autumn in the North! I didn't expect that it's only early September and the mountains are already covered in golden hues. It's so beautiful."
"The maple leaves on the isolated mountain in the suburbs will probably be turning red soon. I'll take you to see them when we get back," He Hansheng promised her.
The two were only affectionate for a short while when Shen Suining suddenly sat up straight, clapped her hands together, and said, "He Hansheng, we can't waste such a beautiful moment! Let's get out of the carriage and ride horses! We can have a competition to see who is the better rider!"
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